The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday and caused hundreds of aftershocks and a tsunami affected other global phenomena as well, including a shift in the Earths axis, the length of Earths day and the positioning of certain countries.
Geophysicist Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, estimated that the Japanese earthquake shortened the Earth's day by 1.8 microseconds.
The loss of the microseconds is not likely to cause a time change, but will eventually mark a difference in the passing of the seasons. The change will only be observable using precise satellite navigation systems.
Gross also reported that Earths axis most likely shifted about 6.5 inches. The shift would affect how the planet rotates, but not its position or movement in space.
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The entire country of Japan has physically moved approximately 8 feet according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and other scientists are estimating that some parts may have moved as much as 12 feet closer to North America.
Both the shift in land and time is similar to those experienced last year after the Chilean earthquake, which increased Earths rotation and resulted in a time loss of 1.26 microseconds.
