Quake may have made Earth wobble

What I think does not affect any wobbliness change.

But, several bazillion tons of rock were just moved 60 feet or so across the surface of a spinning sphere. So I suspect some wobblies should be expected.
 
Change due to conservation of angular momentum can only be considered so much of a change, since said mass had to be pushed upwards at some point and, thus, will get pushed upwards again more than likely, though over eons.
 
I just want to be the first to mention ice skaters in this thread.

I remember every time Katarina Witt pulled her arms in, my heart speeded up.

I'm a wee thing doubtful that the quake actually made the Earth measurably smaller though. I'd like to see some numbers on that.
 
Soapy Sam said:
I just want to be the first to mention ice skaters in this thread.

I remember every time Katarina Witt pulled her arms in, my heart speeded up.

I'm a wee thing doubtful that the quake actually made the Earth measurably smaller though. I'd like to see some numbers on that.
Click to expand...

numbers?

Okay, they say the soul weighs 21 grams.

80,000 dead = 80,000 souls departing the earth = 1680 kilograms of mass disapearing.

(people need to stop dying. We are raping this tiny planet of it's natural resources when souls go to heaven or hell)
 
thatguywhojuggles said:
numbers?

Okay, they say the soul weighs 21 grams.

80,000 dead = 80,000 souls departing the earth = 1680 kilograms of mass disapearing.

(people need to stop dying. We are raping this tiny planet of it's natural resources when souls go to heaven or hell)
Click to expand...

Are souls considered renewable resources? Can they be condensed?

Hmmm...thinking...energy crisis over...

Athon
 
Well, this gets my vote for lamest science story of the year.

First how did he decide the quake involved a net movement of mass towards the center of the earth.

OK, lets give him that, maybe there's something about this particular earthquake that causes a net movement of mass towards the center of the earth.

Well then what is the effect? Both in terms of change in the earth's wobble and in terms of the change in the length of the day the effect looks like it is probably undetectable with our current methods.

So what the story is saying is that a massive earthquake might cause some probably undetectable changes in the earth's rotation. Not much of a story. Everything that moves on the earth causes undectable changes in the earth's rotation so it doesn't seem like much a surprise that a giant earthquake does too.
 
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