Japan earthquake shifted Earth on its axis.

[editec]

"It's not surgical precision," she said.

Other details are emerging. The quake probably shifted the position of Earth's axis about 6.5 inches, said Richard Gross, a geophysicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, in an e-mail.

The temblor also should have caused Earth to rotate somewhat faster, shortening the length of the day by about 1.8 microseconds, he said.

DAMN!

As though we weren't all already pressed for time and here we go losing another 1.8 microseconds.

 

[Old Rocks]

It may seem farfetched, but I wonder if the "Three Gorges Dam" in China had anything to do with the earthquake in Japan.

The total surface area of the reservoir is 1045 square kilometers, and it will will flood a total area of 632 square kilometers, of land. The reservoir will contain about 39.3 cu km (9.43 cubic miles) of water. That water will weigh more than 39 trillion kilograms (42 billion tons).

MEDIAROOTS

Think about it. 42 billion tons on the edge of the plate above sea level. A plate that crosses Japan.

Earthquakes and landslides
Earthquake-induced peak ground acceleration coupled with the immense weight of the reservoir water might be able breach the upstream face of the dam.[57] Erosion in the reservoir, induced by rising water, causes frequent major landslides that have led to noticeable disturbance in the reservoir surface, including two incidents in May 2009 when 50,000 and 20,000 cubic metres (65,000 and 26,000 cu yd) of material plunged into the flooded Wuxia Gorge of the Wu River.[58] Also, in the first four months of 2010, there were 97 significant landslides.[59]

Three Gorges Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just sayin'

No, it didn't. The earthquake in Japan was a result of plate tectonics, pure and simple. The quake was centered in a region directly over where a section of the Pacific Plate is being subducted under the Eurasian Plate. The depth of 20 miles or so tells us that this is the cause.

Anyone who tries to ascribe surface causes to a process that occurs in the Mantle (or deep crust) of the Earth really needs to take a geology class. The planet doesn't work that way. You're starting to sound like an uneducated 6 percenter.

Actually, since it is a major subduction slippage portions of it were above 20 miles, and portions below.

 

[westwall]

It may seem farfetched, but I wonder if the "Three Gorges Dam" in China had anything to do with the earthquake in Japan.

The total surface area of the reservoir is 1045 square kilometers, and it will will flood a total area of 632 square kilometers, of land. The reservoir will contain about 39.3 cu km (9.43 cubic miles) of water. That water will weigh more than 39 trillion kilograms (42 billion tons).

MEDIAROOTS

Think about it. 42 billion tons on the edge of the plate above sea level. A plate that crosses Japan.

Earthquakes and landslides
Earthquake-induced peak ground acceleration coupled with the immense weight of the reservoir water might be able breach the upstream face of the dam.[57] Erosion in the reservoir, induced by rising water, causes frequent major landslides that have led to noticeable disturbance in the reservoir surface, including two incidents in May 2009 when 50,000 and 20,000 cubic metres (65,000 and 26,000 cu yd) of material plunged into the flooded Wuxia Gorge of the Wu River.[58] Also, in the first four months of 2010, there were 97 significant landslides.[59]

Three Gorges Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just sayin'

No, it didn't. The earthquake in Japan was a result of plate tectonics, pure and simple. The quake was centered in a region directly over where a section of the Pacific Plate is being subducted under the Eurasian Plate. The depth of 20 miles or so tells us that this is the cause.

Anyone who tries to ascribe surface causes to a process that occurs in the Mantle (or deep crust) of the Earth really needs to take a geology class. The planet doesn't work that way. You're starting to sound like an uneducated 6 percenter.

Actually, since it is a major subduction slippage portions of it were above 20 miles, and portions below.

This is true. They will eventually map the whole thing and get a much better idea of the angle of descent of the plate.