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2011 Sendai Earthquake And Tsunami, Tōhoku Region, Pacific Ocean
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Geophysical impact
According to Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, the earthquake's enormous strength shifted the Earth's axis by 25 centimeters (9.8 in). This deviation led a number of small changes, including those to the length of a day and the tilt of the Earth. The speed of the Earth's rotation increased, shortening the day by 1.8 microseconds due to the redistribution of Earth's mass.
A report by the U.S. Geological Survey said that Honshu, the main island of Japan, was shifted 5 m (16 ft) toward the east. Researcher Lucy Jones said of the precise data, "The Japanese have the best seismic information in the world... This is overwhelmingly the best-recorded great earthquake ever."
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