Global Warming And Earthquakes

Yesterday the earth shook in both the western and eastern United States, thereby proving my dad's theory that I really should have never ever left the safe and sound Midwest. And although I found it amusing that our nearby news stations here went into Earthquake 2011! mode for a tremble that most of us barely felt, it did raise just a little panic in me concerning the number of natural disasters heading our way. (And truly who knew that there was a fault line in Virginia??. Maybe it is time for my own bamboo earthquake shelter.)

While we joked around the workplace about that darn "global warming", it in no way occurred to me that global warming could cause an earthquake. How incorrect I am! Much research has shown a definite connection between global warming and earthquakes meaning that not simply are we causing disaster from above but also from below.

So how precisely does global warming produce an earthquake? Well, by land or by sea, Paul Revere can yell that they're coming and it all begins with the melting ice caps. When the weight of glaciers and ice sheets is relieved from the earth's crust (thanks to the melting), meaning that the crust can rebound far more rapidly. And when the enormous ice sheets have melted enough to move along, they oftentimes become stuck to the ice next to them causing pressure to accumulate until they slip forward a couple of inches at a time. This movement is referred to as "stick n' slip" and although a few inches seems inconsequential, bear in mind that we're not talking about some ice cubes in a drink here. The massive weight shift can trigger earthquakes to a 7 magnitude when it lurches forward. And the "stick n' slip" isn't a rare occurrence either. The Whillans Ice Stream [the very first ice sheet observed doing the stick n' slip] moves forward twice per day with each and every slip producing tremors that could be felt 4,000 miles away in Australia.

Yet another consequence of ice melt will be the change in sea levels which causes a rise in ocean temperatures causing the water itself to expand (a process called thermal expansion). That additional water in the great blue yonder piles up and applies pressure to faults near the coastline. Not only does that mean a lot more earthquake risks, but it also affects volcanic activity (as if we didn't have enough to worry about!). A study published in Nature way back in 1997 studying the connection between sea levels in the Mediterranean and volcanic activity within the area discovered that when sea levels rose rapidly, volcanic eruptions elevated by 300%!

And, in accordance with National Geographic News, a study of Alaska's Columbia Glacier found that modest earthquakes had been much more frequent in Alaskan summers when the ice there was melting.

Even though no scientist is spouting a doomsday theory with such a huge rise in sea level that every fault line erupts globally, the evidence is mounting that global warming is causing numerous natural disasters around us. And while I can discover some humor in our response to Earthquake 2011!, underneath that is my own crust of worry and concern about the ongoing and ever-increasing impacts of global warming.

Douglas Michaels Jr. writes educational articles for Green Earth News, the authority on everything Bamboo. For more information on Bamboo And Environment. Check out Green Earth Bamboo for bamboo sheets, bamboo clothing, duvet covers, towels and baby products, all made from the world's most sustainable and renewable resource on the planet.

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