1. People joke about link between earthquake and solar eclipse on social media.
2. USGS states that solar eclipse is not linked to earthquake.
3. Moon’s gravitational pull can trigger earthquakes due to its effect on solid earth tides and volcanoes.
An earthquake hit New Jersey a few days before a total solar eclipse was set to sweep across America, sparking discussions online about the potential link between the two events. The United States Geological Survey stated that the eclipse was unlikely to have impacted the earthquake, but research has previously suggested a connection between the moon and seismic activity on Earth. While the moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans is well known, there is evidence to suggest that it also affects Earth’s rocks, causing small tides that can deform the planet.
Recent studies have indicated that there may be a correlation between Earth tides caused by the moon and earthquakes. By analyzing large datasets, researchers have found that the moon’s influence could contribute to triggering seismic activity on our planet. The moon’s impact on underwater earthquakes, specifically those near volcanoes, has been observed to follow the tides of the ocean. A study published in Nature Communications in 2019 suggested that the weight of the ocean pressing down on a volcano’s magma chamber during low tide could cause it to inflate and potentially lead to earthquakes.
While the moon itself does not directly cause earthquakes, its gravitational pull could push already stressed rocks over the edge and lead to seismic activity. Understanding when the moon’s pull may contribute to triggering an earthquake can help researchers gain insights into the physics of these events, even if it does not serve as a reliable method for predicting them. The connection between the moon’s influence and earthquakes highlights the complexity of seismic activity on Earth.