Length of the day shortened by Chilean earthquake

[bascule]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Discoveries/2010/0303/Chile-earthquake-shortened-Earth-s-day-NASA-thinks-so

 

The Chilean earthquake displaced enough of the Earth's mass to affect its axis and shortened the length of the day by approximately one microsecond.

 

I heard a great NPR interview with a NASA geophysicist about this. Apparently they managed to perform this calculation using seismic data alone.

[Mr Skeptic]

Haha, there goes our calendar!

[swansont]

I heard a great NPR interview with a NASA geophysicist about this. Apparently they managed to perform this calculation using seismic data alone.

 

This?

 

And the USNO scientist they interviewed? What is he, chopped liver?

 

(I'll tell. He works a few doors up the hall)

[bascule]

This?

 

And the USNO scientist they interviewed? What is he, chopped liver?

 

(I'll tell. He works a few doors up the hall)

 

Can't really listen right now. He was on All Things Considered last night.

[npts2020]

I had heard that the 1.26 microsecond difference wasn't even measurable yet, that is why it had to be calculated.

[Sisyphus]

I have felt especially hurried the last few days. Good to see I'm not crazy.

[VedekPako]

So it spend up the Earth?

 

Could geologic forces balance out the pull of the tides by the Moon to ensure the Earth will always rotate?

[Mr Skeptic]

This effect is similar to pulling your arms closer to you to spin faster. Conservation of angular momentum means you spin faster -- but this does not generate any more angular momentum. Earth is losing angular momentum (it is being transferred gravitationally to the moon via tides). We will eventually match spins with the moon's orbit, so that one side of Earth faces the moon as today one side of the moon always faces Earth.