Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Climate Change. Oh My.

Another tsunami. Fucking earthquakes! Fucking climate change! 

You know, I don’t think there has been a proven correlation between climate change and increased earthquake activity.

Don’t the melting ice caps, accelerated by climate change, have a cyclical relationship with rising sea levels that have a knock-on effect on the movement of tectonic plates that cause earthquakes? I’m sure I’ve read something about it.

Really? Show me.

Seems like the perfect way to start the holiday season.

Unlike many large tsunamis, the recent one in Indonesia was not caused by an earthquake. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, the tsunami was caused by an underwater landslide resulting from nearby volcanic activity, exacerbated by an abnormally high tide due to the full moon. 

Fucking volcanoes, then.

In a recent study, 138 volcanoes have been identified throughout the deep basins of West Antarctica. If the ice acts as a protective layer, what happens when the ice melts? There is evidence to suggest that volcanic activity worldwide is most frequent in deglaciating regions, as the pressure of the ice is first reduced and then removed. If volcanoes are a pressurised system and the pressure is removed through the melting of ice due to global warming, then we have a problem. The decay of the modern ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica may lead to an increase in earthquake activity in these regions.

Southern Alaska is also prone to earthquakes because a tectonic plate under the Pacific Ocean is pushing into the coast, building up pressure. Over the last 100 years, higher temperatures in the region appear to be contributing to an increase in glacier melting. As the glaciers melt and their load on the plate lessens, there is a greater chance of an earthquake occurring, relieving the large strain underneath. 

The correlation between rising temperatures due to global warming and earthquake frequency can be linked to climate change, at least in mountainous regions where glaciers form and melt. Glaciers all around the world are in retreat. The Andes, Greenland, Alaska, Canada, the Himalayas, Central Asia and all tropical glaciers are rapidly melting. 

Our world is horrifyingly beautiful.

While climate change rhetoric predominantly focuses on rising sea levels, a billion humans could be affected by freshwater shortages alone by 2050. In the future, we can expect a steady rise in climate and pollution-driven migration around the globe.

Climate change is synonymous with cancer, a disease of our planet that is both ominous and omnipotent.

Happy Holidays!