According to media reports, a slowing of the Earth’s rotation is likely to bring an increase in the number of severe quakes. What do NZ scientists say?
The report follows a conference presentation last month by two US researchers who suggest a slowing of Earth’s rotation is correlated with an increase in earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher.
In a paper presented to the Geological Society of America, scientists Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado in Boulder and Rebecca Bendick of the University of Montana suggested “variations in the speed of Earth’s rotation could trigger intense seismic activity, particularly in heavily populated tropical regions”, reports the Observer. “Although such fluctuations in rotation are small – changing the length of the day by a millisecond – they could still be implicated in the release of vast amounts of underground energy, it is argued.”
The NZ Science Media Centre asked experts to comment on the reports – here are their responses.
[...]