Solar heat may influence earthquake activity: Study

ISTANBUL

Heat from the sun may play a role in earthquake activity on Earth, according to a new study published Tuesday in the science journal Chaos.

Researchers from Japan's University of Tsukuba and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology found that solar heat triggers changes in atmospheric temperature, which can affect rock properties and underground water movement.

Such fluctuations, for example, can make rocks more brittle and prone to fracturing, while changes in rainfall and snowmelt can change the pressure on tectonic plate boundaries, author Matheus Henrique Junqueira Saldanha said.

"While these factors may not be the main drivers of earthquakes, they could still be playing a role that can help to predict seismic activity," Saldanha said.

The researchers applied mathematical models to earthquake data, solar activity, and surface temperatures, discovering that including surface temperatures improved prediction accuracy, especially for shallow earthquakes.

"That makes sense since heat and water mostly affect the upper layers of the Earth's crust," Saldanha noted.

"It's an exciting direction, and we hope our study sheds some light on the bigger picture of what triggers earthquakes," Saldanha said.