2010 Chile Earthquake Nudged Earth's Figure Axis

A lot of things can happen to the Earth as it ages. Earthquakes change the landscape, but if powerful enough, they can even have an impact on the whole planet. Such was the case of the seventh most powerful earthquake ever recorded in history. The Chile earthquake in February, 2010 registered at 8.8 magnitude. As of this writing, over 700 were confirmed dead. The resulting tsunami from the upheaval reached as far as Japan. Indeed strong earthquakes like that are rare but when they happen, they can have a lasting global effect.

The Chile earthquake was the result of the movement of a deep and steep fault. According to Richard Gross (left) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it had likely nudged the Earth's figure axis by 3 inches (final data pending). The figure axis is the axis around which the Earth's mass is balanced. It is different and offset from the North-South axis.

Gross said that because of the steepness of the source fault, the Chile quake had a strong effect in shifting the Earth's mass vertically and shifting the figure axis. The Earth is like a top that spins at around 1,000 miles per second. Depending on the distribution of its mass (whether near or far to the figure axis), it's spin and angle are determined. As of this writing, Gross and his team are still gathering data on the earthquake which will fine-tune their measurements. What follows are before and after NASA satellite images of the 2010 Chile quake zone.

RIGHT BEFORE the quake:

RIGHT AFTER the quake:

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Oldest Non-Geological Structures on Earth Built by Primitive Lifeforms

Earth is roughly 4.5 billion years old and just a billion years after it took the form of a real planet, structures that resemble upside down egg cartons and broad ice cream cones began to form in the first bodies of water. Some of these formations are still intact today, and geologists have argued and toyed with theories on what formed them.

While it's a typical belief that these formations were the result of primordial geological processes, there's much evidence to suggest they they were the result of organic action, which means they were created by living things - microbes in particular. Such old structures, called stromatolites, have young counterparts with recent ones that are half a billion years old. The evidence for biologic origin takes the form of layers of organic material that is present in the stromatolites.

Theory has it that microbes, likely blue-green algae, create beds on the floors of bodies of water like shallow seas. These beds act to promote deposits of sediments, much like how flypaper collects dust. However, it's been theorized that the microbes grow filaments that catch particles from the water. So it's likely the formations were the result of a play between passive deposition and organic action.

This is an aquarium designed for dinosaur shrimp, otherwise known as triops. They have been in existence on Earth for 350 million years and their eggs, which come with the aquarium package, easily hatch just by adding water! Take a tour far, far back in time with is Star Wars planet Naboo theme aquarium. Click here or on the image to place your order!

Earth's Magnetic Field Fluctuating Wildly

Scientists have discovered that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening in some parts and changes are happening pretty quickly. The fluctuations are thought to be closely connected with current movements of our planet's outer liquid center core, 3,000 kilometers down.

In 2003, the changes were prominent in the Australasian region. This shifted to Southern Africa in 2004. The findings are the result of nine years of accumulated satellite data. Mioara Mandea, scientist of the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam says the changes may mean an upcoming reversal of the geomagnetic field.

The Earth's polarity regularly switches and evidence of this has been found by scientists geologically. Every time a decline in the Earth's magnetic field happens, the surface becomes exposed to more radiation from the Sun, and outer space in general, to altitudes below a hundred kilometers. Currently, the geomagnetic field is weak in the South-Atlantic region.

Some associate the phenomenon to Mayan prophecies and the belief about 2012, the researchers say the thinning of the magnetic field does not even affect temperature and only disrupt radio signals. The small photo (top left) shows how solar particles interact with the magnetic field to produce spectacular aurora displays like the one shown in Manitoba. The chart on the left marks polar reversals in the Earth's geological history. The scientists are continuing to monitor the developments.

Journey to the Center of the Earth remade in 3D

Strange Ring Structure in the Philippines Visible from Space

If you look at the Moon, you will see how much it's surface is cratered. Some of these craters are caused by meteoroids and small asteroids that have impacted the surface. But the picture above is not of the Moon. It's somewhere closer to home. In fact, it is home.

Unknown to many people, the Earth has also been subject to the bombardment of space rocks in the past and most recently in Peru (more links at the end of this post) such that it also has many craters. But unlike on the Moon, which has no atmosphere, less erosion, and geological changes, the craters on Earth have gone through upheavals and changes that have left them diminished, except for a few like the Wolf crater in Arizona.

This diagram of Asia (left) shows the general distribution of craters made by asteroids that have impacted in the past. It is from the Earth Impact Database, which documents impact sites all over the world. It is interesting to note that most countries in Asia, including the Philippines are not marked. Does this mean there are no impact sites in those places? Possibly. But it is also possible that they haven't been found yet.

The Philippine archipelago does get it's share of meteorites, the most recent that's been authenticated is the one that went down in the Mountain Provice of Bontoc. This rare rock from space is now in the possession of amateur astronomer Allen Yu of the Astronomical League of the Philippines (ALP) and consultant to Pyxis Astronomy Education Services.

The Philippines also has numerous tektites scattered in what is called strewn fields. There is a number of ideas about the origin of tektites, and one of them is the asteroid-impact theory.

Philippine tektites have been associated to geological events as far away as the Zhamanshin crater in Kazakhstan (left). But this is only a theory. The source of the Philippine tektites, the dark, glassy rocks used as amulets by locals, is still pretty much a matter of debate. It is possible that they came from a much closer, even local, source. The latest studies point to an Indochina crater.

I tried using Google Earth to look for impact sites in the Philippines. I managed to find circular structures, but most of these have definite volcanic origins, like the perfectly round lakes in San Pablo, Laguna and Quezon province (below). However, there is one structure in the big island of Luzon that is sizable enough to be noticed and it looks like a crater (top).


This landscape ring structure is in the province of Pangasinan and while it appears to be relatively flat, it is nevertheless outlined by a river system much like the Manicouagan crater in Canada, shown here from a space shuttle photograph (left). However, this crater is much larger and has a broader waterway.

The Pangasinan Ring, though small, has tree-lined river banks and rice fields that define a circular structure, making it more distinct from above with a whitish outline. A smaller ring is at the upper left corner. If you look closely, you will also see a road that bisects the "parent" ring. In the middle is a town where a grove of trees south of the long building with the blue roof, mark the very center (below).


The strange landscape feature is very easy to miss at ground level, and may not even be apparent from an aircraft flying at 30,000 feet. But it is very visible from outer space and an astronaut in orbit would readily see it.

Is it an ancient dried up lake? Is it an extinct volcanic basin? Is it an impact site that's been missed all these years? Is it the source of the tektites (left, from the alvinwriter collection) that are plentiful in Bicol region, further south? Perhaps it's just an odd landscape formation with nothing to it but the quirky path of the rivers?

Rocel Pereira, a remote sensing specialist, says its possible that the area inside the ring is of a higher elevation than the land outside. "Notice, that the area inside the ring is well vegetated," she says. "But my inference is only based on Google Earth. My suggestion is to check out the elevation and contours in the area using topographic maps, which can be purchased from the National Mapping and Resource Information Agency (NAMRIA)."

The Earth Impact Database has set criteria for determining if a structure that resembles a crater is an asteroid impact site or not. Included here are shatter cones, multiple planar deformation features in minerals, the presence of high pressure mineral polymorphs, the existence of an impact melt sheet or dikes, and the presence of pseudotachylyte and breccias.

The Pangasinan Ring can only be classified as an impact site if many of the criteria for authenticating a crater-like geological structure are found there. The findings will also need to be verified by experts. While intriguing to think and speculate about, it is likely that this landscape feature is not an impact site, as suggested by Pereira's initial impressions. But if you have a personal opinion or a clue as to what this strange structure is, feel free to comment. It would be interesting to know what people think. If you like, you can even view and study the Pangasinan Ring yourself using Google Earth. You can download the program here.

Satellite views of the Philippines are from Google Earth.
Asteroid impact site pictures and Asia diagram are from Earth Impact Database.
Picture of Moon and Earth together is from TwilightEffect.

Search for source of Australasian tektites crater source move to Indochina.

Physical evidence of prehistoric tigers in the Philippines unearthed in Palawan.

Click here for news and a video about the meteorite crash that sickened people in a Peruvian village.

More videos about research done on the sickening qualities of the Peruvian crater here.

Gravity Map of the Earth

This is how the earth would look if the various intensities of its gravitation were integrated with the visual representation of its surface. The elevated areas and those in red have the highest mass or density, and thus the greatest gravitational pull. This picture of a mottled earth was made possible by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment.