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Do earthquakes also change how long it takes for the earth to rotate around the sun? Because it seems like the earth's orbit should be more or less constant (ig

Do earthquakes also change how long it takes for the earth to rotate around the sun? Because it seems like the earth's orbit should be more or less constant (ignoring relativistic effects).

pavel_lishin 12y ago
I don't believe so - earthquakes should only affect the number of days (rotations) that occur during an orbit.
- deleted 12y ago
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pwnna 12y ago
No it does not. Earthquake changes the internal structure of the earth, which offset its rotational rate (as angular momentum must be conserved and the moment of inertia changed). It does not change the angular momentum of any system, nor does it change the moment of inertial of the sun-earth system.
yellowapple 12y ago
Earth's orbit is probably variable, but not because of earthquakes; rather, when the gravitational pulls of other Solar System bodies are consisdered, there are forces other than the Sun's gravity acting on the Earth. The most notable of these is the moon, but in terms of tangible orbital disruption, other planets (particularly Jupiter, which is massive enough to pull the Sun-Jupiter barycenter outside the sun, meaning that Jupiter orbits the sun much in the same way that Charon orbits Pluto) can and do disturb the orbits of their fellow planets, often pulling them whichever way. Earthquakes are also not the only means by which the Earth's rotation can be affected. The moon's gravity creates all sorts of tidal forces on Earth; such forces don't just create tidal waves, but can influence everything from Earth's rotation to continental drift. Of course, hypothetically, a sufficiently-violent volcanic eruption could end up working like a giant rocket engine and thus push the Earth in some direction or other (in much the same way as normal rocket engines do; in this case, magma/lava/steam would be the propellant(s)). That's the only way I can think of off the top of my head for earthquakes to affect Earth's orbit, and should that happen, I highly doubt UTC being synchronized with Earth would be particularly relevant at that point, since something of that magnitude would probably significantly damage (if not destroy) Earth, and would almost certainly exterminate anything unfortunate enough to still be living on the planet.

Do earthquakes also change how long it takes for the earth to rotate around the sun? Because it seems like the earth's orbit should be more or less constant (ignoring relativistic effects).

pavel_lishin 12y ago

I don't believe so - earthquakes should only affect the number of days (rotations) that occur during an orbit.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

pwnna 12y ago

No it does not. Earthquake changes the internal structure of the earth, which offset its rotational rate (as angular momentum must be conserved and the moment of inertia changed). It does not change the angular momentum of any system, nor does it change the moment of inertial of the sun-earth system.

yellowapple 12y ago

Earth's orbit is probably variable, but not because of earthquakes; rather, when the gravitational pulls of other Solar System bodies are consisdered, there are forces other than the Sun's gravity acting on the Earth. The most notable of these is the moon, but in terms of tangible orbital disruption, other planets (particularly Jupiter, which is massive enough to pull the Sun-Jupiter barycenter outside the sun, meaning that Jupiter orbits the sun much in the same way that Charon orbits Pluto) can and do disturb the orbits of their fellow planets, often pulling them whichever way. Earthquakes are also not the only means by which the Earth's rotation can be affected. The moon's gravity creates all sorts of tidal forces on Earth; such forces don't just create tidal waves, but can influence everything from Earth's rotation to continental drift. Of course, hypothetically, a sufficiently-violent volcanic eruption could end up working like a giant rocket engine and thus push the Earth in some direction or other (in much the same way as normal rocket engines do; in this case, magma/lava/steam would be the propellant(s)). That's the only way I can think of off the top of my head for earthquakes to affect Earth's orbit, and should that happen, I highly doubt UTC being synchronized with Earth would be particularly relevant at that point, since something of that magnitude would probably significantly damage (if not destroy) Earth, and would almost certainly exterminate anything unfortunate enough to still be living on the planet.