Awake

Shift in tectonic plates may have shortened Earth days

According to a theory proposed by Richard Gross, a geophysicist with NASA's Jet Propolsion Laboratory, the effect of a huge tectonic plate being forced under another is that of making the Earth more compact and consequently spinning faster. The 9.0 Asian earthquake may also have increased the tilt in the Earth's axis. All of this means that an Earth day is now a tiny fraction of a second shorter than it was before. When these tiny fractions accumulate, scienctists will have to add a "leap second" to the end of the year.

This is a very small effect and things like this have happened to the Earth many times before. But it is intriguing to find oneself in the midst of a geological event such as this.

Full story here:
Reuters AlertNet - Quake may have made Earth wobble--US scientists

(Also, found some frequently asked questions about the Asian quake and tsunami on USGS's Earthquake Hazards Program site.)