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Likely cause for recent southeast US earthquakes: Underside of the North American Plate peeling off
Date: May 3, 2016 Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Summary: The southeastern United States should, by all means, be relatively quiet in terms of seismic activity. It's located in the interior of the North American Plate, far away from plate boundaries where earthquakes usually occur. But the area has seen some notable seismic events -- most recently, the 2011 magnitude-5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia that shook the nation's capital.
Now scientists report in a new study a likely explanation for this unusual activity: pieces of the mantle under this region have been periodically breaking off and sinking down into the Earth. This thins and weakens the remaining plate, making it more prone to slipping that causes earthquakes. The study authors conclude this process is ongoing and likely to produce more earthquakes in the future...
Date: May 3, 2016 Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Summary: The southeastern United States should, by all means, be relatively quiet in terms of seismic activity. It's located in the interior of the North American Plate, far away from plate boundaries where earthquakes usually occur. But the area has seen some notable seismic events -- most recently, the 2011 magnitude-5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia that shook the nation's capital.
Now scientists report in a new study a likely explanation for this unusual activity: pieces of the mantle under this region have been periodically breaking off and sinking down into the Earth. This thins and weakens the remaining plate, making it more prone to slipping that causes earthquakes. The study authors conclude this process is ongoing and likely to produce more earthquakes in the future...