The catastrophic earthquake that rocked Japan on March 11, 2011, has taken a devastating toll on human life in the country. The strength of the quake, though, has also had massive geological consequences for the region, and planet Earth as a whole.
Japan’s recent earthquake is being measured as one of the strongest in recorded history, and as a result, the United States Geological Survey is reporting that it has moved the country of Japan by about eight feet, or 2.4 metres.
On top of that, NASA geophysicist Richard Gross has calculated that Earth’s rotation sped up by 1.6 microseconds as a result of the 8.9 earthquake, thus shortening the length of a day on Earth. For comparison, however, the 2004 earthquake that took place in the Indian Ocean and was recorded at somewhere between 9.1 and 9.3 on the scale, shortened Earth’s day by 6.8 microseconds.
Image Source: NASA Goddard Photo and Video
