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Sloshing of Earth?s core may spike major earthquakes
By Paul VoosenOct. 30, 2017 , 1:45 PM
SEATTLE?The world doesn?t stop spinning. But every so often, it slows down. For decades, scientists have charted tiny fluctuations in the length of Earth?s day: Gain a millisecond here, lose a millisecond there. Last week at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America here, two geophysicists argued that these minute changes could be enough to influence the timing of major earthquakes?and potentially help forecast them.
During the past 100 years, Earth?s slowdowns have correlated surprisingly well with periods with a global increase in magnitude-7 and larger earthquakes, according to Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder and Rebecca Bendick at the University of Montana in Missoula. Usefully, the spike, which adds two to five more quakes than typical, happens well after the slow-down begins. ?The Earth offers us a 5-years heads up on future earthquakes, which is remarkable,? says Bilham, who presented the work...
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... Beginning next year, Earth should expect five more major earthquakes a year than average?between 17 to 20 quakes, compared with the anomalously low four so far this year. If the pattern holds, it will put a new spin on earthquake forecasting.
By Paul VoosenOct. 30, 2017 , 1:45 PM
SEATTLE?The world doesn?t stop spinning. But every so often, it slows down. For decades, scientists have charted tiny fluctuations in the length of Earth?s day: Gain a millisecond here, lose a millisecond there. Last week at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America here, two geophysicists argued that these minute changes could be enough to influence the timing of major earthquakes?and potentially help forecast them.
During the past 100 years, Earth?s slowdowns have correlated surprisingly well with periods with a global increase in magnitude-7 and larger earthquakes, according to Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder and Rebecca Bendick at the University of Montana in Missoula. Usefully, the spike, which adds two to five more quakes than typical, happens well after the slow-down begins. ?The Earth offers us a 5-years heads up on future earthquakes, which is remarkable,? says Bilham, who presented the work...
...
... Beginning next year, Earth should expect five more major earthquakes a year than average?between 17 to 20 quakes, compared with the anomalously low four so far this year. If the pattern holds, it will put a new spin on earthquake forecasting.