Glaciers Spur Alaskan Earthquakes
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Credit
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Glaciers Spur Alaskan Earthquakes
In a new study, NASA and United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists found that retreating glaciers in southern Alaska may be opening the way for future earthquakes. The study examined the likelihood of increased earthquake activity in southern Alaska as a result of rapidly melting glaciers. As glaciers melt they lighten the load on the Earth's crust. Tectonic plates, that are mobile pieces of the Earth's crust, can then move more freely, which increases the probability of earthquakes occurring in this region.
Southern Alaskan Earthquakes from 1/18/1993 to 5/4/1999.