Earthquakes are one of the most mysterious and terrifying natural disasters. Although we have some idea of when the big ones might happen, others can occur seemingly out of nowhere, bulldozing cities and creating secondary disasters such as fires, landslides and tsunamis. Climate change is causing increases in other natural disasters, like wildfires and hurricanes.
Unfortunately, climate change could make quakes happen closer together and with more intensity, experts told Live Science. With global warming, glaciers are melting at an increased rate. When melted glacier water flows off land and into the sea, the land that used to sit underneath it rises, said John Cassidy, an earthquake seismologist at the Geological Survey of Canada and the University of Victoria.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."Several earthquakes are late in their seismic cycle," Bohnhoff told Live Science, including earthquakes predicted to happen near San Francisco and Los Angeles in the next few decades."That means just a little increase in pressure is enough to advance the seismic clock. It might be enough in many places to trigger earthquakes.