By Stephen Ornes
November 8, 2012
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/11/pumping-water-from-the-ground-in-southeastern-spain-may-have-triggered-a-deadly-2011-earthquake-there/
Some earthquakes can be unpredictable while others are cased by us and our actions. In Spain, just like in many places, the people pump water from the ground for daily use, some suggest this might have been the cause of the 2011 quake that killed 9 people. This study was also known to be the first study to show that 'removing water can trigger earthquakes.'
"Geologists like Pablo González study connections among human activities, groundwater and earthquakes. When a dam is built, for example, water piles up in one place. Previous studies have shown that such an accumulation may set off a quake in the region. Some scientists suspect that’s what happened in 2008, when a powerful earthquake killed 80,000 people in Sichuan, China. Other studies have indicated that water pumped into the ground during fracking — a process that releases deep, natural supplies of oil and gas — can trigger earthquakes as well."-I found this very interesting.
However Pablo predicts the Earthquake would have happened anyways, since it was a region where many occur, still the pumping of the water made it happen sooner. After looking through satellites, scientists discovered the ground shook the most where the aquifers had been drained. Throughout the discovery it is also says that ground level drops 10cm every year due to the pumping of the ground water.
I personally never knew this could be true, I had no idea water pumping and earthquakes could have something in common. It is a short but good article, it talks about everything one has to know and the most important news.:)
November 8, 2012
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/11/pumping-water-from-the-ground-in-southeastern-spain-may-have-triggered-a-deadly-2011-earthquake-there/
Some earthquakes can be unpredictable while others are cased by us and our actions. In Spain, just like in many places, the people pump water from the ground for daily use, some suggest this might have been the cause of the 2011 quake that killed 9 people. This study was also known to be the first study to show that 'removing water can trigger earthquakes.'
"Geologists like Pablo González study connections among human activities, groundwater and earthquakes. When a dam is built, for example, water piles up in one place. Previous studies have shown that such an accumulation may set off a quake in the region. Some scientists suspect that’s what happened in 2008, when a powerful earthquake killed 80,000 people in Sichuan, China. Other studies have indicated that water pumped into the ground during fracking — a process that releases deep, natural supplies of oil and gas — can trigger earthquakes as well."-I found this very interesting.
However Pablo predicts the Earthquake would have happened anyways, since it was a region where many occur, still the pumping of the water made it happen sooner. After looking through satellites, scientists discovered the ground shook the most where the aquifers had been drained. Throughout the discovery it is also says that ground level drops 10cm every year due to the pumping of the ground water.
I personally never knew this could be true, I had no idea water pumping and earthquakes could have something in common. It is a short but good article, it talks about everything one has to know and the most important news.:)
