Strong quake and tsunami hits Japan

[Logan Darklighter]

On the general subject of the quake itself:
Japan earthquake shifted Earth on its axis

Already, just over 36 hours after the quake, data-crunchers had
determined that the temblor's force moved parts of eastern Japan as much
as 12 feet closer to North America, scientists said -- and that Japan
has shifted downward about two feet.

Jones said that USGS had determined that the entire earthquake sequence --
including associated foreshocks and aftershocks -- had so far included
200 temblors of magnitude 5 or larger, 20 of which occurred before the
big quake hit. She said the aftershocks were continuing at a rapid pace
and decreasing in frequency although not in magnitude, all of which is
to be expected.

Japan Earthquake Shifted Coastline Maximum Of 8 Feet, Scientists Say

NEW YORK -- The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake
that shook Japan and triggered a powerful tsunami on Friday has had a
profound effect on both the surrounding terrain and the planet as a
whole.

Dr. Daniel McNamara, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey,
told The Huffington Post that the disaster left a gigantic rupture in
the sea floor, 217-miles long and 50 miles wide. It also shifted Japan's
coast by eight feet in some parts, though McNamara was quick to explain
much of the coast likely didn't move as far.

McNamara found the way in which the quake actually sunk the elevation
of the country's terrain to be more troublesome than coastal shifting.
"You see cities still underwater; the reason is subsidence," he said.
"The land actually dropped, so when the tsunami came in, it's just
staying."

According to CNN, the earthquake moved the planet's axis approximately 4 inches, though other sources, like The Vancouver Sun and The Montreal Gazette, report the estimate even higher -- around 10 inches.

"I don't know about that. That sounds extreme," McNamara said,
claiming the smaller estimate was likely more accurate. "There are all
kinds of different numbers floating around," he added.