Question
Hi,
I was watching the news about the Tsunami in December and they were saying
that the axial inclination of the earth changed a bit because of the
tremendous force. Do you know how many degrees it moved and what would the
result be?
Thank you for your time,
Michel
Answer
It was the earthquake not the tsunami. The earthquake slightly rearranged the mass distribution in the Earth. Angular moment is conserved, like a skater spinning faster when she pulls in her arms. There was a net movement of mass toward the axis so the Earth like the skater spins faster. The amount is tiny, thousanth of a scecond per day. The reaarrangement of the mass also changed the position of the axis relative to geography. A diver spinning in the air moves arms and legs to change the axis of rotation relative to a point on the body. This was again a tiny 2.5 centiments.
tsunami. earth's axis, angular momentum
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