It is a well-known fact that the Moon has an effect on the Earth’s oceans. But experts have claimed that the planet’s natural satellite creates forces that can cause earthquakes on our planet.
The Moon has a significant influence on our planet, experts have revealed, as new and comprehensive data sets emerge. This led the scientists to conclude that the Moon had caused some shocks to the Earth.
“With these massive datasets, they’re starting to get some small but significant correlations,” explained Chris Scholtz, a geologist and professor emeritus of geology and environmental science at the Columbia Climate School. internal.
He also considered it “reliable”.
A clear effect of the Moon’s pull is seen in underwater earthquakes.
According to research published in the journal scienceIt revealed that earthquakes along underwater fault lines appear to follow ocean currents.
“An earthquake is ten times more likely to occur here than when the tides are out,” Scholtz said.
Their research study published in Nature communicationthat the earthquake was pressed on the volcano’s magma chamber by the weight of the ocean.
“What’s happening is that the waves are actually inflating and deflating the magma chamber. That’s what’s causing the earthquakes.”
“When the tide is low, less water is pressed onto the chamber, which then inflates. This, in turn, puts more pressure on the fault line, making earthquakes more likely.”
The moon is also exerting its influence on the rocks as they rise and slide under the gravitational pull of the moon.
“Solid Earth waves are just like waves, they just happen on solid Earth. And the amplitude of the motion is very small because the Earth is so rigid,” Scholtz said.
“You can measure it with a very sensitive instrument. But you can’t notice it,” he said.
David Zaccagnino, a PhD student in geophysics at Rome’s Sapienza University, told Insider: “These waves can deform the Earth by about 22 inches vertically and about 11 inches horizontally every day.”
By digging into these datasets, some studies have suggested a link between Earth waves and earthquakes.
“When fluids can flow, rocks can change their shape slightly according to the magnitude and direction of tidal disturbances, which promotes stress accumulation,” Zaccagnino said.
He added: “If the rocks are already overstressed by the action of tectonic forces, the pull of the moon can also be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, creating cracks in the rock.”
Said Zaccagnino: “If the surrounding rocks are also unstable, the fracture can quickly involve large fault patches. The end result is an earthquake.”
It has become clear that the moon does not cause earthquakes but can cause a shock when a rock is on the verge of collapse. This occurs after pull lines along the fault line in certain situations.
“Senses cannot help us predict earthquakes. But they can help us better understand their physics, which is still largely unknown,” Zaccagnino said.
Knowing when the Moon’s pull is able to trigger an earthquake could help us, for example, understand when the crust was at the point of rupture, Zaccagnino said.
