The Earthquake That Altered the Earth’s Gravity

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The 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which caused the tsunami behind the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, disrupted more than man-made structures.

The European Space Agency’s GOCE satellite, measured a significant change in Earth’s gravity.

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The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer, launched in 2009, collected data to map Earth’s gravity with unrivaled precision.

While we generally think of gravity as constant (an assumption well known to Physics 101 students), the force varies regionally due to uneven distribution of material deep within the earth.

Images via the European Space Agency.
Via Gizmodo.

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I design video games for a living, write fiction, political theory and poetry for personal amusement, and train regularly in Western European 16th century swordwork. On frequent occasion I have been known to hunt for and explore abandoned graveyards, train tunnels and other interesting places wherever I may find them, but there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that I am preparing to set off a zombie apocalypse. Nothing that will stand up in court, at least. I use paranthesis with distressing frequency, have a deep passion for history, anthropology and sociological theory, and really, really, really hate mayonnaise. But I wash my hands after the writing. Promise.

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