Typhoons trigger earthquakes on Taiwan: scientists

Surprised scientists say that typhoons which hit Taiwan unleash long, slow earthquakes, a phenomenon that may save the island from devastating temblors.

Seismologists installed movement sensors in boreholes at depths of 200-270 metres (650-870 feet) in eastern Taiwan, monitoring a spot where two mighty plates, the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian plate, bump and jostle in an oblique, dipping fault.

Over five years, researchers saw a remarkable link between tropical storms and "slow" earthquakes, a seismic beast first identified three decades ago.

Slow quakes entail a slippage in the fault that unfolds progressively over hours or days, rather than a sudden, violent release of the kind that destroys buildings and lives.

The sensors noted 20 such slow earthquakes, 11 of which coincided with typhoons, during the study period.

The 11 quakes were all stronger and characterised by more complex seismic waveforms than other "slow" events.

"These data are unequivocal in identifying typhoons as triggers of these slow quakes. The probability that they coincide by chance is vanishingly small," said co-author Alan Linde of the Carnegie Institution for Science in the United States.

A typhoon causes a fall in atmospheric pressure -- and the researchers suggest that this in turn reduces pressure on the land over the fault.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.0e72e8e889357fc5b4c54b72f3332e06.1a1&show_article=1

Muh... I wonder if that mitigates severe quakes in other areas??

Now we find there is a correlation? hahaha!

It makes sense to me that atmospheric pressure, the Moon's gravitational pull, and even heating and cooling of the Earth's surface could effect plate and fault movement.

I think all of this makes perfect sense and if we could only understand that the Earth and even it's atmosphere are so intricately entertwined...like a living breathing organism... maybe we'd take better care of her (ya, I know, soun'd awfully "gaia" of me)

Too tired to get into the science and geology and interesting correlations of the magnetics and weather... but it would be good to look for and see what kinds of articles we can find.. cool stuff!