Causes of Quakes

Earthquake Faults

A survey of earthquakes in the Pacific region since 1950 indicates that there has been an increase of up to 15% in the frequency of earthquakes of about 6-magnitude or higher. The earthquakes have caused relatively low damage.

Each of the six sets of earthquakes involved the collapse of an axis of the upper crust of the earth’s crust by between 1-7 m. During such collapses, earth’s solid materials carry an upward energy which causes earth’s crust to rupture to produce earthquakes. Afterwards, gravity pulls the crust back together in a process called a big effect earthquake. In the earthquake in Mexico in 2017, the upward movement of the earth’s crust by 1-7 m was the cause of the earthquake. During this earthquake, earth’s crust was on a much smaller but potentially large scale. Also during the earthquake, the earthquake caused a change in the seismic wave velocity, which caused small earthquakes.

volcanic eruption, eruption, volcano

Volcanic Activity

So this volcano can erupt at any time?

Yes, and when it does, it would blow any surviving trees that were in its way over the mountain top to give the people and animals below a run for their money. This mountain must contain a lot of magma for the earthquakes to come.

This volcano seems to have erupted several times since then, so why don’t you take a look at it?

Maybe we will just do that later on, we have other things to do. The volcano is a little far away from the village, so let’s see if we can look at another volcano today instead. That volcano is not near any communities though, so we are a little safe from it.

So, why is the volcano more dangerous?

Well, when it erupts, there is a huge eruption in all directions and the town near that volcano becomes a pile of ash, dust, and rocks. Those rocks are thrown as far as ten kilometers away. It is called an eruption of magma.

Tectonic Plate Boundaries

There is an earthquake at 23.26 UTC on November 1 in Vardavski Island (Arctic Ocean) about 155 miles from mainland Asia, and 1630 miles away from the Indian coast. It is associated with a small offshore plate boundary that is located between the northern Indian plate and Eurasian plate. Although the maximum recorded frequency is of 2,000Hz, the earthquake is the first time this part of the plate boundary has generated a seismic wave. Further earthquakes near the Eurasian and Indian plates are expected over the next days and weeks. The closest historical event to this earthquake is an earthquake recorded on November 5, 1769 that is estimated at magnitude 6.3, and occurs at about the same location.