Indian Ocean quake shifted North Pole an inch
January 11, 2005
Scientists at NASA said last month's earthquake in the
Indian Ocean affected shape and rotation of the Earth, and shifted the position
of the North Pole.
The underwater quake, the fourth most powerful in the last century, shifted the
earth's north pole about 2.5 centimetres, or one inch, closer to 145 degrees
east longitude, roughly in the direction of Guam.
Scientists also calculate the quake made the earth slightly rounder, and made
the day shorter by 2.68 millionths of a second. They admitted, though, that the
calculated changes may be too small to measure.
Researchers with NASA said all quakes affect earth's rotation to some degree,
but the phenomenon is noticeable this time because it was so powerful.
"Any worldly event involves the movement of mass affects the Earth's
rotation, from seasonal weather to driving a car," said Benjamin Fong Chao
of the Goddard Space Flight Center, in a release.
The movement of the North Pole is also part of a long-term shift, scientists
said.
The researchers said they hope to confirm their calculations with precise
measurements from satellites and earth-based stations.
The Boxing Day quake, measuring a magnitude of 9, triggered tsunamis that killed
at least 156,000 people in Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka, and left
many more homeless.
SOURCE: World New & Prophetic Trends