Japan Earthquake Alters Coast Line, Changes Earth’s Axis The massive earthquake that hit Japan on Friday was so powerful that it changed the shape of the country's coastline and shifted the earth's axis. Geophysicist Kenneth Hudnut, who works for the US Geological Survey, told CNN that the quake moved part of Japan's land mass by nearly 2.5 meters. Experts say that the huge shake, caused by a shift in the tectonic plates deep underwater, also threw the earth off its axis point by at least 8 centimeters. Thousands of people were unaccounted for in Japan on Saturday, a day after the 8.9 earthquake shook the country and giant tsunami waves crashed 10 kilometers inland in the northeast. TAGS: Japan earthquake video Japan video Japan quake oil refinery Japan 8.9 earthquake australia tsunami earthquake today japan 2011 11 march Tokyo earthquake japan earthquake today west coast tsunami warning tokyo earthquake today Hawaii earthquake tsunami Japan Earthquake Alters Coast Line, Changes Earth's Axis fukushima reactor nuclear crisis fukushima blast fukushima explosion reactor radiation RT Japan earthquake Japan earthquake Japan tsunami earthquake caught on tape video Japan video Japan quake RT oil refinery Japan 8.9 earthquake australia tsunami earthquake today japan earthquake 2011 japan 11 march 2011 japan tokyo earthquake fukushima nuclear plant explosion nuclear disaster news chernobyl radiation nuclear reactor fukushima meltdown fukushima reactor nuclear