NASA scientists are claiming that the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile last week has changed the earth's rotation, shortening the length of the day to 1.26 milliseconds. Apparently, the earthquake has caused the earth's figure axis to shift by three inches, but the figure axis is different from the north-south axis around which the earth rotates. The figure axis is offset from the north-south axis by thirty-three feet and represents the axis around which the earth's mass is balanced. The quake caused some of the earth's mass to shift vertically, hence shifting the figure axis.
Read the full article posted at Space.com.
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