find patterns when it s really more or less coincidental. and there s studies suggesting that the earthquake in japan has caused the earth to spin 1.6 microseconds faster, which would mean that our days become shorter. can you explain what that means. is this actually how it sounds? sure. if you picture the plates are going against one another and one is going down under, and so the mass is redistributing as a result. and so it s like an ice skater pulling their arms in closer, they ll spin faster because the mass is concentrating closer to the spin axis. simple as that. eddie barnard, let me turn to you. it seems to many observers that the scale and ferocity of these natural disasters has increased dramatically over the last decade. is that correct, or is this a cyclical thing? what do you think is happening here? well, i think ken has a good point. that if you looked at the geological history of this area, there s been repeated tsunamis generated in the sendai area.
more or less coincidental. and there s studies suggesting that the earthquake in japan has caused the earth to spin 1.6 microseconds faster, which would mean that our days become shorter. can you explain what that means. is this actually how it sounds? sure. if you picture the plates are going against one another and one is going down under, and so the mass is redistributing as a result. and so it s like an ice skater pulling their arms in closer, they ll spin faster because the mass is concentrating closer to the spin axis. simple as that. eddie barnard, let me turn to you. it seems to many observers that the scale and ferocity of these natural disasters has increased dramatically over the last decade. is that correct, or is this a cyclical thing? what do you think is happening here? well, i think ken has a good point. that if you looked at the
the earthquake in japan is just the latest in a series of natural disasters that seem to be coming fast and furious. what s behind it all? joining me now is ken hudner, a geophysicist with the u.s. geological survey. eddie barnard, director of marine environmental laboratory and the osha, and astrophysicist neil tyson. can i ask you what you think is going on from an expert point of view here? it s not the answer you want to hear, but i would say that statistical analysis would have a hard time finding a pad earn here. it s a human tendency to find patterns, though. so i think whether it s people looking up at the stars and finding constellations or looking at earthquakes happening worldwide, there s a ten denny to find pattern tendency to find patterns when it s really
just the latest in a series of natural disasters that seem to be coming fast and furious. what s behind it all? joining me now is ken hudner, a geophysicist with the u.s. geological survey. eddie barnard, director of marine environmental laboratory and astrophysicist neil tyson. can i ask you what you think is going on from an expert point of view here? it s not the answer you want to hear, but i would say that statistical analysis would have a hard time finding a pattern here. it s a human tendency to find patterns, though. so i think whether it s people looking up at the stars and finding constellations or looking at earthquakes happening worldwide, there s tendency to
and lived to tell the story. tonight, are natural disasters on the rise? what if it happens here? is this country prepared for the unthinkable? live from los angeles, this is a special edition of piers morgan tonight. good evening. i m live from a city that s suffered numerous earthquakes but never any as big as the one that struck japan yesterday. japan right now, it s mitt morni mid morning. the extent of devastation is becoming clearer. look at the tsunami that struck at 2:46, the strong toast hit japan in recorded history. one of the strongest quakes to ever hit the planet. the death toll is likely to go into the thousands and tens of thousands more people have been forced to flee their homes. damaging aftershocks, up to 6.6 magnitude, still being felt. japanese news media report the radiation may have seeped out of a nuclear reactor 160 miles north of tokyo. jonathan hannehl is an eyewitness to the quake, a french horn player for the symphony orchestra. during the re