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Did The Chilean Quake Shift Earth's Axis
Terra Daily ^ | 3/12/2010 | Dr. Tony Phillips

Posted on 03/15/2010 7:58:12 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld

Pictures of widespread devastation leave no doubt: Last month's 8.8 magnitude earthquake in coastal Chile was extremely strong. Indeed, say NASA scientists, it might have shifted the axis of Earth itself. "According to our calculations, the quake moved Earth's figure axis by about 3 inches (8 cm)," says geophysicist Richard Gross of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

If the Earth tilted over 3 inches, you probably think you would have noticed. But that's not how the "figure axis" works. "The figure axis defines not how Earth is tilted, but rather how it is balanced," says Gross.

Consider the following:

Earth is not a perfect sphere. Continents and oceans are distributed unevenly around the planet. There's more land in the north, more water in the south, a great ocean in the west, and so on. As a result of these asymmetries, Earth slowly wobbles as it spins. The figure axis is Earth's axis of mass balance, and the spin axis wobbles around it.

"The Chilean quake shifted enough material to change the mass balance of our entire planet," Gross says.

A shifting figure axis is nothing new. On its own, the figure axis moves about 10 centimeters per year as a result of "Ice Age rebound." After the last great glacial period some 11,000 years ago, many heavy ice sheets disappeared. This unloaded the crust and mantle of the Earth, allowing the planet to relax or "rebound" back into a more spherical shape. The rebounding process is still underway and so the figure axis naturally moves.

(Excerpt) Read more at terradaily.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; earthquakes; geology; geophysics; jpl; science
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To: ETL

Wouldn’t it be something like the ballerina managing to spin on her heel instead of her toe?


41 posted on 03/15/2010 9:12:42 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (I am in America but not of America (per bible: am in the world but not of it))
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To: sonofstrangelove

That is what “Chili” does.


42 posted on 03/15/2010 9:15:15 PM PDT by jongaltsr (It)
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To: AussieJoe

LOL!!!! Great idea! ; ~ )


43 posted on 03/15/2010 9:17:48 PM PDT by antceecee (Bless us Father.. have mercy on us and protect us from evil.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Yes, looks like they are.

I still haven’t really read the posted article yet. Perhaps tomorrow I will. I was going more by what I understood from previous articles I read on it. In any case, it’s late where I am and I need to get to sleep.


44 posted on 03/15/2010 9:18:11 PM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Wouldn’t it be something like the ballerina managing to spin on her heel instead of her toe?

Or his...

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Definitely going to bed now! :)

45 posted on 03/15/2010 9:25:29 PM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: SoldierDad
there are a couple ways to interpret your comment

Damn... You're onto us. I shouldn't have built the geomorphography machine. It sits right next to the shrink ray and the global warming machine that I built for BoooshDarthCheney. ;-)
46 posted on 03/15/2010 10:23:44 PM PDT by lmr (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools.)
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To: lmr

LOL


47 posted on 03/15/2010 10:25:48 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud Papa of two new Army Brats! Congrats to my Soldier son and his wife.)
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To: sonofstrangelove
Earthquakes throw a "spike" into GPS signals, which Gross believes he can find

Any deviation that is caused by fluctuations in the rotational axis by any of the forces mentioned can easily be recalibrated using literally tens of thousands of positions on Earth that are known to a very high precision. This guy sounds like he's surfing for a gubmint grant to me. "Gimme enough money and I can prove that the Sun still rises in the east despite the Chilean earthquake".....

48 posted on 03/15/2010 11:04:40 PM PDT by Thermalseeker (Stop the insanity - Flush Congress!)
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To: Thermalseeker
He already has a nice job working for the JPL/NASA laboratory.He is already paid by the government
49 posted on 03/15/2010 11:07:56 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove
He is already paid by the government

Maybe he's trying to justify his position at JPL/NASA in an Obamanation? Either that, or he's looking to pick up a little "butter and egg" money. In any event, as always, follow the money and you'll always find the truth.....

50 posted on 03/15/2010 11:11:57 PM PDT by Thermalseeker (Stop the insanity - Flush Congress!)
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To: Thermalseeker

JPL scientists get paid very well. See their parking lot and the types of cars they drive.


51 posted on 03/15/2010 11:14:03 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: sonofstrangelove
JPL scientists get paid very well.

Well, they did until Obamalamadingdong came along anyway. Obama just killed a big portion of the space program. That has to have sent shock waves through the entire NASA/JPL staff. Where else would someone with that kind of background go for work? Defense contractors are on the chopping block, too.

52 posted on 03/15/2010 11:21:49 PM PDT by Thermalseeker (Stop the insanity - Flush Congress!)
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To: Thermalseeker

Many are opening their own rocket companies


53 posted on 03/15/2010 11:25:04 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld ("I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution."-Dr.Wernher Von Braun)
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To: randomhero97; KoRn
Thanks randomhero97 and KoRn. :')
 
Catastrophism
 
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
 

54 posted on 03/16/2010 4:25:21 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (http://themagicnegro.com/)
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To: Minn

“I’ve been wondering why I missed that putt.”

and why I didn’t catch that fish!


55 posted on 03/16/2010 5:58:16 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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