[Rockhounds] The Sun Might Be Influencing Earthquakes, Scientists Say

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Seismologists know a lot about the mechanics of earthquakes and why they
occur. What’s more difficult to determine, however, is how to predict
future earthquakes. And while associating earthquakes with solar or lunar
activity might sound like a conspiracy theory, recent research suggests a
possible link between the Sun’s heat and seismic activity.

Researchers in Japan discovered that computer models incorporating Earth’s
surface temperatures simulated past earthquakes more accurately. Their study
<https://pubs.aip.org/aip/cha/article-abstract/35/3/033107/3338203/The-role-of-solar-heat-in-earthquake-activity?redirectedFrom=fulltext>,
published Tuesday in the journal Chaos, reveals that the Sun’s impact on
Earth’s surface might influence our planet’s seismic activity. If
validated, these results could revolutionize earthquake prediction and, as
a consequence, our ability to prepare.

A 2022 study
<https://pubs.aip.org/aip/cha/article-abstract/32/6/061107/2835751/Solar-activity-facilitates-daily-forecasts-of?redirectedFrom=fulltext>
by
some of the same authors had previously established that solar activity,
including sunspots, impacts seismicity on our planet. “However, the
mechanisms by which the Sun can affect seismic activity on Earth are still
unknown,” the researchers wrote in the recent study. “Here, we examine the
hypothesis that one of such influences is through heat.”
https://gizmodo.com/the-sun-might-be-influencing-earthquakes-scientists-say-2000571624