The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.
"At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters).
It's hard to get my head around that. I hope I remember that when I start bitchin' about what a bad day I had at work or some other insignificant gripe. It puts things into perspective, doesn't it?
Watching cars outrun or in some instances drive completely unaware of the deluge on YouTube is quite sobering—enough to quell any mundane whimpering. I'd put it on par with watching the Irianian girl get shot during recent protests. That's an image burned into my soul.
ReplyDeletePat
ReplyDeleteNext to my bar I have something to show how you and your problems rank in the big picture. It's a map of the universe.
Start with our sun in the Milky Way Galaxy...then our galaxy in our group of galaxies...our group in the local super group...then our super group in the known universe...
Something to contemplate as you are getting drunk....and to show what you mean in the big picture.