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Chile earthquake shifts the earth's axis, shortens the days

Image of the earth from NASA's Terra satellite.  (NASA)
The earthquake on Saturday, February 27, 2010 in Chile has
shifted the Earth's axis and shortened its days. (NASA)

NASA scientists have determined that the massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday has shortened our days and shifted the Earth’s axis. Officials said that the effects of the event while not unusual are a testament to the power of the temblor.

Richard Gross, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said his team had determined the Chile earthquake shorted the length of an Earth day by 1.26 microseconds. A microsecond is one millionth of a second.

The 2004 earthquake in Sumatra which triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people was a magnitude 9.1 temblor. That event shortened the days by 6.8 microseconds according to the same computer models.

Most interesting is the effect the quakes had on the earth’s axis. Saturday’s earthquake shifted the earth’s axis by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters, or 3 inches). The Sumatran quake shifted the planet’s axis by 2.32 milliarcseconds (about 7 centimeters, or 2.76 inches).

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The scientists said the 2010 Chile quake had a greater effect on the Earth’s axis than the 2004 temblor because it occurred in the planet’s mid-latitudes. By contrast, the Sumatran quake was near the equator.

Researchers have said that all earthquakes affect the Earth’s axis. Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said “Any worldly event that involves the movement of mass affects the Earth's rotation, from seasonal weather down to driving a car."

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Sunday, February 28th, 2010

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Sunday, February 28th, 2010

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With a passion for science, meteorology and climatology, Tony Hake has long been fascinated with all types of natural disasters. The Natural...

Comments

  • Andrea 1 year ago
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    all i've got to see is omg!

  • .... 1 year ago
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    oh well looks like 2012 is coming closer

  • Siavash 1 year ago
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    Quakes have always existed and reading this article, they must all have had somekind of an effect on earths axis.

    Makes me wonder could the axis have been straight in the past?

    PS this has nothing to do with 2012

  • Rosa 1 year ago
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    2012 is faults because that's not whats really going to happen..some parts of the movie are but not all at ones..slowly the earth is going to change and unfortunately many people are going to died. don't believe what the government is saying..i believe NASA!!

  • shanell 1 year ago
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    oh my 1millionth of a second!???!

  • Mohammad H. Zarif 1 year ago
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    I believe that the melting of the pole will do changes on earth,the disaster will happen when the temperature at the poles will rise highly to a limit where the ice will melt rapidly at the pole living its summer days,this will allow massive quantities of water to travel thru the oceans in one direction which may change the equiliberium of the earth to a degree that it may travel to turn 180 degree which will change its rotational direction,so the Sun will then rise from west.At the same time,the distribution of loads on earth will then differ due to water travelling movement which will cause in breaking of the weak areas or the complete blasting of the surface which may end the story of human life on earth,untill the earth will come to rest again,may then God send another alian to live on it and make a new story and preserve the earth from a new distruction.The huge industrial countries must wake up before it is too late,well i think it is too late and all of us will see the changes

  • kclady53 1 year ago
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    This proves we're running out of time. Repent:)

  • Clyde K. 1 year ago
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    Has Al Gore approved this?

  • Angel Eyes 1 year ago
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    With the solar flares on the sun so large now, that we can no longer measure them, when once we could. There is a big tear in the magnetic field surrounding the earth which Scientist cannot explain. Each of these earthquakes knocks the earth off it's axis a little more each time. The Poles melting at an alarming rate, because the earth is heating up.

    Yellowstone has become so hot, they have had to close some trails & move others back. There is going to be a polar shift, of which few if any of us survive. We will see more volanco eruptions over the coming months. It's only beginnning. Glacier National Park which had 250 Glaciers is now reduced to 23. Hard on tourism.

    It could happen in 2012, or even next year. Regardless of the year the earth is about to give birth to a new era wthout 9 billion people polluting it.

  • mohini Hussain 1 year ago
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    i believe that we all should live our life the way we want to live it ,don't know what will happen in 2012 since it's the last days for humans on this earth ever that's what the bible is telling us last days ill bring all kinds of distruction in the world so wake up everyone and start your life with good and bad things in life .

  • <anime lover> 1 year ago
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    I hate topics about Earth's changes... it makes me worried!!!! I hate 2012... I hate global warming... I hate climate change... I hate predictions about end of the world!!!

    All I want to say is... let's save mother earth... *bow* ^^ (i wish I can invent a car that doesn't fume out CFC's)T_T God help us...=(

  • Pascariu Relu 1 year ago
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    cu bucurie ma apropii de aceste miraculoase evenimente...21 dec 2012... si va transmitem tuturor salutulnostru crestin penticostal...Maranata Domnul Nostru Isus Vine...

  • mero 1 year ago
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    it is nice to know that earth is going to its end one day

  • Vahl 1 year ago
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    all i can say is "were going to die"

  • Beholder 1 year ago
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    Before, i say anything, let everyone know that my opinion is based on a particular heavenly sight I saw twice in my lifetime. It's about a particular "sign" (A Being manifested above the sky). He could be an angel, or what i believe, a manifestation of the Lod Himself (who knows?). And the particular years I saw this sight, do indicate the possibility of the Bible's prediction regarding "Parousia" (actual coming of Jesus). I am not going in detail, but these double encounters with this Being, point out to a particular years, which are 2014 and 2020. Personally, I believe the Scripture is right in the first place ---- God will fulfill His promise based on the "signs" manifested worldwide.

  • Leeshaa 1 year ago
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    it will happen just not in our generation
    mayb the next but its too early. think about it
    those stupid predictions said it was gonaa end in
    2000 and did it, NO it didnt so wy now ?

  • Ness 1 year ago
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    I believe the flood of biblical times was due to earthquakes.Iit describes as opening the earth,shifted us onto the current axis causing our climate to be different. They had no floods to believe in, then now it floods regularly. It's easier to imagine what worldwide earthquakes could do now eh?

  • sadia 1 year ago
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    the countries should take serious action espically the advanced countries like western countries and all the countries even for small things that causes disaters and people should start fllowing in right because the great almighty god is angry he s giving signs

  • purple 1 year ago
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    the government should be the one to know what are the remedies of this circumstances in our own world. everybody should help!!!!!!!!

  • wish...U. 1 year ago
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    I believe NASA. earthquakes do affect earth axis and that will possibly may affect other changes on earth like climate change etc. So its upon us to be aware of what is happening around us and try to help motherearth in all possible circumstances.

  • abs 1 year ago
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    this is the most horific disaster i ever heard.. godspeed

  • Anonymous 3 months ago
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    Fratilor am ramas fara bani...vreau sa ma ajutati in nevoia pe care o am ...nu ma lasati singur vreau sa supravietuiesc si eu... dati-mi un semn ca ma meti ajuta sau ca vreti sa ma ajutai cu bani...eu sunt prea mic sa pa pot descurca singur deasta apelez la voi cei care sunteti mai mari...0040751411324este nr meu de tel sau relupascariu@yahoo.com...un mesaj simplu doresc ...promitemi ceva si eu ma voi ruga pentru tine. multumesc ...thank you

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