It may take decades, but long after all the debris is removed, homes are rebuilt and life returns to some degree of normalcy in Japan, the legacy of the Sendai earthquake will remain deep within the earth, geologically, and even within the very structure of the universe.
And, so it is for much of the physical environment we live in, which has been shaped by a myriad of such events, whether horrific or unnoticed. Little consolation to the bereaved, but perhaps humbling to those outside the Japan earthquake zone.
The New York Times
March 13, 2011
Quake Moves Japan Closer to U.S. and Alters Earth’s Spin
By Kenneth Chang
The magnitude-8.9 earthquake that struck northern Japan on Friday not only violently shook the ground and generated a devastating tsunami, it also moved the coastline and changed the balance of the planet.
Global positioning stations closest to the epicenter jumped eastward by up to 13 feet.
Japan is “wider than it was before,” said Ross Stein, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey.
Meanwhile, NASA scientists calculated that the redistribution of mass by the earthquake might have shortened the day by a couple of millionths of a second and tilted the Earth’s axis slightly.
For the complete story, see http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14seismic.html?hp
And, so it is for much of the physical environment we live in, which has been shaped by a myriad of such events, whether horrific or unnoticed. Little consolation to the bereaved, but perhaps humbling to those outside the Japan earthquake zone.
The New York Times
March 13, 2011
Quake Moves Japan Closer to U.S. and Alters Earth’s Spin
By Kenneth Chang
The magnitude-8.9 earthquake that struck northern Japan on Friday not only violently shook the ground and generated a devastating tsunami, it also moved the coastline and changed the balance of the planet.
Global positioning stations closest to the epicenter jumped eastward by up to 13 feet.
Japan is “wider than it was before,” said Ross Stein, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey.
Meanwhile, NASA scientists calculated that the redistribution of mass by the earthquake might have shortened the day by a couple of millionths of a second and tilted the Earth’s axis slightly.
For the complete story, see http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14seismic.html?hp
