Earthquake

Watching the devastating effects of the earthquake in Japan has sure made me grateful for living in good ole St. Johns. Not that we can't or won't have an earthquake, but there is not much chance we have to worry about a tsunami. As I watched the houses and the cars being swept away by the water, I was so in awe of just how fast your whole life's work can be taken away. I had to wonder why we put so much stock in things instead of relationships, family, our faith. The things that will still be there no matter how big the waves may be.
The torture of not knowing where your loved ones are is more than my mind can comprehend. The picture of the man still holding to his roof, having been blown 10 miles out to sea, not knowing where his wife was. He may never know. That makes loss of house, car and belongings pretty low on the list of concerns.
I have deep respect for these people as they look for survivors. There has not been one story of looting or people breaking into houses and stealing whatever they can find. They were raised to respect their neighbors property and even in the face of this major disaster they are not swayed from their belief.
My prayers go out to these people and all those that may never know where their loved ones have gone.

Why the days are getting shorter.

Last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan has actually moved the island closer to the United States and shifted the planet's axis.

The quake caused a rift 15 miles below the sea floor that stretched 186 miles long and 93 miles wide, according to the AP. The areas closest to the epicenter of the quake jumped a full 13 feet closer to the United States, geophysicist Ross Stein at the United States Geological Survey told The New York Times.

The world's fifth-largest, 8.9 magnitude quake was caused when the Pacific tectonic plate dove under the North American plate, which shifted Eastern Japan towards North America by about 13 feet (see NASA's before and after photos at right). The quake also shifted the earth's axis by 6.5 inches, shortened the day by 1.6 microseconds, and sank Japan downward by about two feet. As Japan's eastern coastline sunk, the tsunami's waves rolled in.

Why did the quake shorten the day? The earth's mass shifted towards the center, spurring the planet to spin a bit faster. Last year's massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile also shortened the day, but by an even smaller fraction of a second. The 2004 Sumatra quake knocked a whopping 6.8 micro-seconds off the day.

After the country's 1995 earthquake, Japan placed high-tech sensors around the country to observe even the slightest movements, which is why scientists are able to calculate the quake's impact down to the inch. "This is overwhelmingly the best-recorded great earthquake ever," Lucy Jones, chief scientist for the Multi-Hazards project at the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Los Angeles Times.

The tsunami's waves necessitated life-saving evacuations as far away as Chile. Fisherman off the coast of Mexico reported a banner fishing day Friday, and speculated that the tsunami knocked sealife in their direction.