--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shortly after the 2004 Indonesian…" description: "\"Shortly after the 2004 Indonesian earthquake, I read that the earthquake had affected the rotation of the earth, shortening the length of our 24-hour d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/karen-thompson-walker-3430_affected_shortly-after-the-2004-indonesian-earthq_2135942.png" --- # Shortly after the 2004 Indonesian earthquake, I read that… ![“Shortly after the 2004 Indonesian earthquake, I read that the earthquake had affected the rotation of the earth, shortening the length of our 24-hour day. Even though the change was extremely slight - only a few microseconds - I found the idea incredibly haunting.” quote by Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/karen-thompson-walker-3430_affected_shortly-after-the-2004-indonesian-earthq_2135942.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/karen-thompson-walker-3430_affected_shortly-after-the-2004-indonesian-earthq_2135942.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/karen-thompson-walker-3430_affected_shortly-after-the-2004-indonesian-earthq_2135942.png) > “Shortly after the 2004 Indonesian earthquake, I read that the earthquake had affected the rotation of the earth, shortening the length of our 24-hour day. Even though the change was extremely slight - only a few microseconds - I found the idea incredibly haunting.” [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author finds the tiny change in Earth’s rotation after a massive quake both scientifically fascinating and emotionally unsettling. **In simple terms:** Earth’s rotation shift after quake feels eerie. Key Takeaway Reflect on humanity’s place in nature. Themes science nature human perspective Mood thoughtful curious Type scientific reflective When to use this quote - earthquake aftermath - educational talks - science outreach - personal reflection Key Concepts geophysics temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - What does a microsecond change reveal about planetary systems? - How do we emotionally process subtle natural phenomena? A Different Perspective The focus on microseconds may distract from larger human impacts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Haunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haunting/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“For anyone who says we’re culturally and technologically advanced beings not held in thrall by our environment consider how we start each year afresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/for-anyone-who-says-we-re-culturally-and-technologically-advanced/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [Every morning when I pick up the newspaper and read about an earthquake in Japan or problems in European financial institutions, the first question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schapiro/every-morning-when-i-pick-up-the-newspaper-and-read-about-an/) [Mary Schapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schapiro/) > [“Her routine was as predictable as the rotation of the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/her-routine-was-as-predictable-as-the-rotation-of-the-earth/) [Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/) > [“obviously it matters little if we think of the earth as turning about on its axis, or if we view it at rest while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/obviously-it-matters-little-if-we-think-of-the-earth-as-turning-about/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [“No cataclysmic change since 1984--Energy-exchange system now about 4.5 billion years old--Plant life itself is about four billion years old--24 hour days from one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-voorhees/no-cataclysmic-change-since-1984-energy-exchange-system-now-about-4-5/) [Lou Voorhees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-voorhees/) > [The pressure to perform is actually a privilege. Being left out of the starting rotation is a sign you must work harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-foudy/the-pressure-to-perform-is-actually-a-privilege-being-left-out-of-the/) [Julie Foudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-foudy/) > [Use the previous techniques in rotation. It will prevent your meditation experience from becoming stale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/use-the-previous-techniques-in-rotation-it-will-prevent-your/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [In comics, there are depths that don't reveal themselves immediately, and the stuff that you might consider anal about 'Watching the Watchmen' - like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/in-comics-there-are-depths-that-don-t-reveal-themselves-immediately/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [One day I discovered that one could get the barrier to internal rotation in ethane approximately right using this method. 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But Philolaus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/this-excerpt-is-presented-as-reproduced-by-copernicus-in-the-preface/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [As a matter of fact I don't know of one artist as long as I've been alive that they put in regular rotation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slaine/as-a-matter-of-fact-i-don-t-know-of-one-artist-as-long-as-i-ve-been/) [Slaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slaine/) > [I mean, I can actually say goodbye to the game of golf, never hit another golf shot the rest of my life and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-norman/i-mean-i-can-actually-say-goodbye-to-the-game-of-golf-never-hit/) [Greg Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-norman/) > [We can't feel the rotation of the planet, but in some ways we can because our bodily systems are reacting to it and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessa-gamble/we-can-t-feel-the-rotation-of-the-planet-but-in-some-ways-we-can/) [Jessa Gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessa-gamble/) > [In college, my friend Melanie and I used to have weekly Jimmy Stewart viewings, and 'Harvey' seemed to make its way into the rotation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-sommer/in-college-my-friend-melanie-and-i-used-to-have-weekly-jimmy-stewart/) [Rich Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-sommer/) > [For the time being Scherzer gives Washington a very nice rotation (on paper) with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, and Doug Fister, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scherzer/for-the-time-being-scherzer-gives-washington-a-very-nice-rotation-on/) [Max Scherzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scherzer/) ## More by Karen Thompson Walker > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. 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Had they always been so red around the edges? Surely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-could-no-longer-remember-the-way-my-mother-s-eyes-looked-before-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“She left her keys in the teeth of the lock where they would dangle all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/she-left-her-keys-in-the-teeth-of-the-lock-where-they-would-dangle/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [I fell in love with Virginia Woolf in college. I especially admire how well she writes about daily life, how she captures so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-fell-in-love-with-virginia-woolf-in-college-i-especially-admire-how/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Our fears are an amazing gift of the imagination ... a way of glimpsing what might be the future when there's still time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/our-fears-are-an-amazing-gift-of-the-imagination-a-way-of-glimpsing/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“I liked the idea, how the past could be preserved, fossilized, in the stars. I wanted to think that somewhere on the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-liked-the-idea-how-the-past-could-be-preserved-fossilized-in-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“I should have known by then that it's never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass; it's the ones you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-should-have-known-by-then-that-it-s-never-the-disasters-you-see/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Feeling earthquakes was part of growing up, and also preparing for them: doing earthquake drills, or having earthquake supplies. The looming feeling was part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/feeling-earthquakes-was-part-of-growing-up-and-also-preparing-for/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) [Explore all 115 Karen Thompson Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) ## More Affected quotes > [To tell you the truth I am hard put to think of anyone who's career was affected significantly by making all those phone calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabney-coleman/to-tell-you-the-truth-i-am-hard-put-to-think-of-anyone-who-s-career/) [Dabney Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabney-coleman/) > [First, climate change is the greatest long-term threat faced by humanity. 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Instead, show them that you are happy even without them.. To put a sad face on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlene05/don-t-show-them-that-you-are-affected-instead-show-them-that-you-are/) Sharlene05 > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Don't be intimidated by people who seem to be experts. Hear their points of view and get their judgements. But at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/don-t-be-intimidated-by-people-who-seem-to-be-experts-hear-their/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Who what am I? 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