AIR Currents
The 2004 Sumatra earthquake actually made the planet rounder
December 18, 2014
Did you know that the 2004 Sumatra earthquake actually made the planet rounder? The magnitude >9 caused a catastrophic land displacement that decreased the bulge in the Earth's midsection in relation to the measurement from pole-to-pole by about one part in 10 billion. The massive megathrust quake also decreased the length of day by about 3 microseconds and shifted "mean North Pole" by about an inch.
Take a look back at the devastating earthquake and tsunami in this AIR Currents article.