The Numbers That Refused to Make Sense
In the first hours after the shaking stopped, the measurements arriving at scientific institutions around the world seemed impossible. The Earth's axis had shifted by approximately four inches . The planet's rotation had accelerated, shortening each day by 1.6 microseconds . Japan's coastline had lurched as much as eight feet towards the Pacific . And 79 feet below the sea surface, the ocean floor itself had wrenched sideways in a displacement so vast it defied immediate comprehension .