So when I saw this headline in someone's Facebook status I was sure it was a link to The Onion (www.theonion.com) which has humorous and satirical news stories. But it was real. Did you know an earthquake could affect the length of a day on Earth?
NASA: Chile Quake Shifted Earth's Axis, Shortened Day
How The Chilean Quake Moved An Entire Planet
Your Day Feel Shorter? Blame Chile's Earthquake
Somehow it kind of shatters a little illusion of constancy that I had. A day is exactly as long a 1 day, that's the whole point. And if the length of a day can change then nothing at all is constant.
Which I really do know. And it isn't as if the change is big enough to make any difference, and it has happened before and it will happen again.
Goodbye 1.26 microseconds of every day...I will miss you! (or not)
Showing posts with label earthquakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earthquakes. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Earthquake! What's going on?
Two very large and damaging earthquakes have happened in the last few months and people are asking why so many? Is the world ending? Is it a plot by Aliens to make us crazy and paranoid? Is California about to fell in to the ocean??
While it is possible that one of those things is true, it isn't really very likely. And there are actually large earthquakes every year, it's just that these last 2 have caused a lot of damage and injured or killed a lot of people. Large earthquakes that happen in places where few people live happen every year and we barely hear about it because it didn't impact human lives.
On average there is about 1 earthquake of magnitude 8 or greater every year. That is large enough to cause major damage to structures. We have had 2 so far this year, but there were none in 2008 or 2009. In 2007 there were 4 magnitude 8 or greater earthquakes. There are also 12-14 magnitude 7.0-7.9 earthquakes every year. Those can still cause large amounts of damage, particularly in areas with low quality construction (like Haiti).
Every year there are thousands of earthquakes with smaller magnitudes, up to 15,000 large enough to noticed by people near the epicenter. That is a lot of earthquakes, and most of them we never hear anything about.
While it is possible that one of those things is true, it isn't really very likely. And there are actually large earthquakes every year, it's just that these last 2 have caused a lot of damage and injured or killed a lot of people. Large earthquakes that happen in places where few people live happen every year and we barely hear about it because it didn't impact human lives.
On average there is about 1 earthquake of magnitude 8 or greater every year. That is large enough to cause major damage to structures. We have had 2 so far this year, but there were none in 2008 or 2009. In 2007 there were 4 magnitude 8 or greater earthquakes. There are also 12-14 magnitude 7.0-7.9 earthquakes every year. Those can still cause large amounts of damage, particularly in areas with low quality construction (like Haiti).
Every year there are thousands of earthquakes with smaller magnitudes, up to 15,000 large enough to noticed by people near the epicenter. That is a lot of earthquakes, and most of them we never hear anything about.
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