Shorter Days

The powerful earthquake that has devastated Japan has also shortened the length of the day on Earth by slightly redistributing the mass of the planet. According to preliminary estimates, the day is shorter by something more than one one millionth of a second. That could still increase, too. Aftershocks of the primary quake have at times been major quakes in their own right, and could add to the mass shift.

The earthquake also brought Japan eight feet closer to North America.

The past few years have provided ample, if tragic, evidence of the power of a geologically active planet. Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti, and several nations around the Indian Ocean have been cruelly reminded that mankind doesn''t have nearly the control we like to think we have.