Isn't this rather frightening?
2007-01-04 08:13:02 · 6 answers · asked by harveymac1336 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
(December 26, 2004) "The shift of mass and the massive release of energy very slightly altered the Earth's rotation. The exact amount is yet undetermined, but theoretical models suggest the earthquake shortened the length of a day by 2.68 microseconds (2.68 µs, or about one billionth of the length of a day), due to a decrease in the oblateness of the Earth. It also caused the Earth to minutely "wobble" on its axis by up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in the direction of 145° east longitude, or perhaps by up to 5 or 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 in)."
The wobble is not frightening. The fact that we can detect it tells us how incredibly sensitive modern measuring techniques are.
2007-01-04 08:19:16 · answer #1 · answered by novangelis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Earth is really huge, but it still is subject to the laws of physics. So even if you weigh a hundred pounds every time you jump, you're putting as much force into the earth as you are into yourself. Obviously this isn't going to affect the Earth a measurable amount, but it certainly does affect it. A tsunami can cause the violent shift of tons of water. There is no doubt that it could wobble the Earth. But don't worry, the Earth is still a lot more massive than the amount of water on its surface that is disrupted by an underwater earthquake. It wobbled, but it didn't go far.
2007-01-04 08:25:47 · answer #2 · answered by tamesbadger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
actual. The Earth wobbles slightly because it travels around the sunlight through gravitational effects of the Moon, the sunlight and to a lesser quantity, different planetary bodies. Even the placement of the earth's land mass, the oceans, and the air density will influence the wobble. The melting and freezing of the earth's polar ice caps additionally effects the wobble. all of us be attentive to that the wobble is stricken by using the climate; if a great meteor hit the earth it could have a dramatic result on the wobble. This wobble isn't a conventional phenomenon. This wobble is particular to earth and it has a touching on how we interpret the action of the heavens. i'm unsure a pair of month yet i be attentive to that this is 26,000 years.
2016-12-12 03:49:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Umm doesn't the earth already wobble on its axis every time it rotates? We should be used to all this wobbling by now.
2007-01-04 08:21:19 · answer #4 · answered by Andastra 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not the tsunami--- the earthquake.
Rather.... never can count on anything in the material world, can we?
2007-01-04 09:27:17 · answer #5 · answered by Rani 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It wasn't the tsunami , it was the earthquake that caused the tsunami .
2007-01-04 08:23:38 · answer #6 · answered by rocknrod04 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋