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Japan quake shifted Earth on its axis
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) Mar 14, 2011 The magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck Japan shifted the Earth on its axis and shortened the length of a day by a hair, U.S. scientists said. It also moved Japan's coastline, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The redistribution of mass caused by the quake tilted the Earth's axis 6.5 inches and shortened the day by a 1.8 millionths of a second, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said. It also made Japan about 13 feet wider than it was before, the geological survey said. In addition, a 250-mile-long coastal section of Japan dropped in altitude by 2 feet, which let the tsunami travel farther and faster onto land, geological survey geophysicist Ross Stein was quoted by The New York Times as saying.
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Quake moved Japan by 8 feet: USGS Washington (AFP) March 12, 2011 Japan's recent massive earthquake, one of the largest ever recorded, appears to have moved the island by about eight feet (2.4 meters), the US Geological Survey said Saturday. "That's a reasonable number," USGS seismologist Paul Earle told AFP. "Eight feet, that's certainly going to be in the ballpark." Friday's 8.9 magnitude quake unleashed a terrifying tsunami that engulfed towns and c ... read more |
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