# The earth has shifted on its axis. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475 "2011-03-13T00:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/1 "2011-03-13T00:42:19Z")
Four inches is what I heard. Still, **the earth has shifted on its axis**. What does this mean for mankind? ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/2 "2011-03-13T00:45:53Z")
Cite for this? Not that I believe it’s impossible, but I’d like an actual reference. Anyway, it probably means nothing. Minor axial shifts presumably happen with any large earthquake, and earthquakes comparable in strength have happened in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/3 "2011-03-13T00:56:31Z")
Crud, I was in such a hurry I forgot [the link.](http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html?hpt=T1) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/4 "2011-03-13T00:58:32Z")
Won’t it just “wobble” back to where it was? Admittedly, I’m not an astronomer. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/5 "2011-03-13T01:00:49Z")
If the background neutrino count has also increased, I’d suggest you haul ass to those secret factories in Tibet post haste. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/6 "2011-03-13T01:02:50Z")
Four inches is less than one millionth of one degree, so I’m thinking it’s the kind of thing noone would even have noticed before satellite positioning. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/7 "2011-03-13T02:52:15Z")
Speaking of satellite positioning, if the Earth rotated by 4 inches under its cloud of GPS satellites, I think that means all sorts of surveying work now has a jump in it. I am curious how this is handled! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/8 "2011-03-13T03:07:24Z")
If you just scrunch back a bit, it’s like it never happened. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/9 "2011-03-13T03:14:57Z")
Well, okay then! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/10 "2011-03-13T03:49:45Z")
Wondering the same thing, I looked around online. Apparently the day has been shortened by 1.6 microseconds. The same thing happened after the Chile and Aceh quakes, so I gather it’s not uncommon. I don’t know if this means the poles (true as opposed to magnetic) move as well? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/11 "2011-03-13T03:54:00Z")
Must be that terrifying, world ending **Pole Shift** they were trying to warn us about. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/12 "2011-03-13T04:23:50Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Wondering the same thing, I looked around online. Apparently the day has been shortened by 1.6 microseconds… Great! :mad: And it’s daylight savings time tonight on top of it. I’m never gonna get enough sleep tonight. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/13 "2011-03-13T04:54:47Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Wondering the same thing, I looked around online. Apparently the day has been shortened by 1.6 microseconds. No WONDER I woke up from my nap feeling inadequately rested. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/14 "2011-03-13T04:57:55Z")
Just hang on, it’ll all be explained in the new Roland Emmerich/Michael Bay movie _ **"Limited Axis"** _. With an All-(B-List)-Star Cast: **Bruce Greenwood** as the misunderstood scientist, **Sela Ward** as the climatologist who can’t stand him (well, at the _beginning_ of the film…), \*\*William Fichtner \*\*as the Navy guy skeptical of his unorthodox ways, and **Craig T. Nelson** as the grizzled old coach whose teachings (to “never ever stop believing in yourself”) resolve a major plot point. And **Danny Bonaduce** as himself. ---
**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/15 "2011-03-13T05:26:49Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Wondering the same thing, I looked around online. Apparently the day has been shortened by 1.6 microseconds. The same thing happened after the Chile and Aceh quakes, so I gather it’s not uncommon. I don’t know if this means the poles (true as opposed to magnetic) move as well? I think this means someone has to trek up to the North Pole and move the sign. We can just call the guys at Amundsen and tell them to move theirs. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/16 "2011-03-13T05:33:38Z")
I seem to hear about this happening every time there’s a major earthquake. I would assume that it happens all the time, and doesn’t really affect anything. We just now have the ability to detect it. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/17 "2011-03-13T05:42:27Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Speaking of satellite positioning, if the Earth rotated by 4 inches under its cloud of GPS satellites, I think that means all sorts of surveying work now has a jump in it. I am curious how this is handled! Easy. Just add 4 inches to all surveying marks. It would be a global data replacement. But in what direction? Should I move to the left a little, or is my chair OK where it is? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/18 "2011-03-13T05:48:17Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Four inches is what I heard. Still, **the earth has shifted on its axis**. What does this mean for mankind? This happens every time there is an earthquake. For example, the [Chile quake last year shifted the axis 3 inches](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/03/100302-chile-earthquake-earth-axis-shortened-day/) and shortened the length of the day by 1.26 millionths of a second. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/19 "2011-03-13T05:54:21Z")
The Earth isn’t perfectly spherical, because it actually bulges a bit along the equator. Does that bulge now have to move 4 inches? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/20 "2011-03-13T06:57:38Z")
You know, every time you fart you affect the earth’s rotation. The only thing that saves us from Armageddon is the fact that you (presumably) fart in all different directions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475.md?page=2)