# The earth has shifted on its axis.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/41 "2011-03-15T16:12:58Z")

</div>

> [@chacoguy](#):
>
> > [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
> >
> > Regarding the movement of the Japanese island, how does that affect GPS? Is there a way that the satellites recalibrate locations?
> 
> Somebody want to take a shot at this?

The satellites don’t know or care where anything on Earth is. They know where they are, and send a signal by which your receiver can calculate where it is. If you are standing in the “same place” somewhere in Japan that you measured last week, your receiver will now read 8 feet to the left, in terms of latitude and longitude. The “same place” has moved, so the coordinates are different. The coordinates read different than a map, now, not because GPS is off by 8 feet, but because your _ **map** _ is now off by 8 feet.

It’s the Japanese maps that now need correction, because of the earthquake, not GPS.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/42 "2011-03-15T17:34:35Z")

</div>

> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> Four inches is what I heard. Still, **the earth has shifted on its axis**. What does this mean for mankind?

Well I’m getting a little motion sickness.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/43 "2011-03-15T23:50:47Z")

</div>

> [@Musicat](#):
>
> I won’t say my post was a whoosh, but it was intended to be a pun, perhaps best enjoyed by programmers. “Global” data replacement? Too subtle?

:smack:

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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 15, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475/44 "2011-03-15T23:53:43Z")

</div>

> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> :smack:

Better late than never.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-earth-has-shifted-on-its-axis/574475.md?page=2)