Most people think of seismic activity as the result of movement along faults or of violent volcanic eruptions.
Most people think of seismic activity as the result of movement along faults or of violent volcanic eruptions. But seismic events can have other causes, including floods and even large crowds of excited fans—such as those at Taylor Swift’s recent Seattle shows, whose enthusiastic reception caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake—and glaciers.
Decades ago, scientists who research seismic activity in the Washington Cascades recorded a number of small seismic events and eventually determined that they were caused by glacier movement. These events, called “glacier quakes,” allow for important insight into seismic activity, patterns of glacier movement and even climate events.
For Washington state residents, seismic activity is nothing new. Washington is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc along the edge of the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plate interactions frequently lead to more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in southern Washington, killing 57 people and causing the most disastrous volcanic eruption in US history. Washington also falls within the Cascadia Subduction Zone, where a fault line between the Juan de Fuca Plate and North American Plate threatens a 9.0 magnitude or more earthquake in the coming century.
Read More: Columbia Climate School
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