Quake shifted earths axis

[animartco]

What I can't understand is how does this shorten our day length? That would mean the recent earthquake had made the Earth spin faster. A shifted axis surely, affects the possitioning of the poles only?
animartco

[posie]

Perhaps the 'shift' changes the angle of the Earth's axis 'from the perpendicular' , and as it is this angle that has a bearing on length of daylight, any change in the angle measurement would subsequently change the hours of daylight measurement. I am only guessing so I will willingly stand corrected when proven wrong...but it sounds good, doesn't it? ..Posie......

And you can't move the poles without moving everything in between them, can you...Rolleyes.

[carlos_dfc]

It's not the case that the (tiny) pole-shift caused the difference in day length....
But that the quake simultaneously shifted the pole AND shorteneded the day.

This is nothing unusual though - the length of our days is constantly changing, and is being constantly monitired.
most big quakes have some effect on it, even weather patterns can cause tiny changes.

The Earth's orbit and rotation is a dynamic thing which is constantly shifting - the biggest influence being the Moon, which is very gradually lengthening our days over VERY long time-frames.
The process is known as 'tidal-locking', and the Moon has already almost completely settled so we see the same face towards the Earth at all times (though it does still 'rock' slightly)
The Earth is still slowly becoming locked to the Moon though - The Moon is gradually being speeded up (months are gradually getting shorter), and the earth's rotation is gradually slowing, as they pull against each other in an attempt to match the Earth's spin, with the Moon's orbit - If given long enough (many billions of years) Our day, and the Moon's orbit (a month) would eventually synchronise.
I can't remember the exact time period, but it has been calculated that at some distant time in the past, our days were only about half as long as they are now.

[posie]

Thankyou Carlos, very interesting and informative.....Posie...

[animartco]

Thank you for your explanation Carlos, but I still don't unerstand how shifting the axis can speed up the Earth's rotation. Obviously in order for day length to shorten the Earth has to be revolving faster. It is interesting you say the moon is slowing the Earth's rotation. So every time we have a major Earthquake it speeds it up again? That's what I call a good ballance.
Shifting the axis though, as far as I can see, only makes the day length shorter in the summer and longer in the winter? or vice versa depending on the direction of shift. And surely this sort of shift could radically affect the Earth's climate.

[carlos_dfc]

Originally Posted by animartco

Thank you for your explanation Carlos, but I still don't unerstand how shifting the axis can speed up the Earth's rotation.

Hi there
The axis shift didn't cause the change in rotation.
It just happens that the quake caused the change in rotation AND also caused the axis shift.

Also, the fact that this quake speeded up the rotation was just a matter of luck - quakes can both speed up, or slow down, the rotation.
They can also shift the axis in just about any direction.
It depends on the direction of the 'shift' in the tectonic plate which caused the quake.

It's an arbitrary thing, and has always happened - tiny little shifts in random directions whenever there's a big quake, tend to even themselves out over long time periods.

The slowing due to the Moon however, is an ongoig 'overall' trend which will continue until the Sun reaches Red-Giant stage and swallows us up.

[animartco]

Oh thank you Carlos. Two unrelated movements then. Shame quakes slow down as well as speed up. I seem to remember someone saying the moon was moving away from us, and we would lose it a bit before the sun became a red giant? But probably there is an equal faction saying it is going to crash. Thanks very much anyway. The way they announced it online made it sound as though the shifting axis caused the days to shorten.

[Rexer]

Yeah i saw that but it only shortened it by 1.26 millionth of a second so i wont bother changing my alarm LOL but it is interesting and i was wondering the same as you animartco so thanks Carlos for the explanation