Is there a connection between drought and earthquakes?

I've been wondering if there is a connection between drought and earthquakes. Here are a couple of excerpts from a Fox 5 report which came out in August 2014:

A study earlier this year in the journal Nature found that a lack of water in the San Joaquin Valley is decreasing the weight on the San Andreas Fault, which could lead to more earthquakes. “Much of this would be smaller earthquakes but theoretically you could get a larger quake,” said Adrian Borsa with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Further down in the report Borsa said something else that seems to contradict his first statement:

Since 2013, 63 trillion gallons of water have depleted form the western part of the United States due to the drought. Uplift not contributed from pumping has caused the ground level to lift up to a sixth of an inch and nearly half an inch in the mountain areas, according to Borsa. Borsa believes that this type of uplift isn’t enough to trigger a large-scale earthquake. “Stressing on the earth from this uplift is just not that significant,” said Borsa.

Source

The drought is much worse than when this report came out last summer. Thoughts, anyone?

Maybe.

Or it is just the extraordinaire amount of water which is wasted in those areas.

Aral Sea. Black Sea. California.

All a very "good" examples of wasting water.

a reply to: dianajune

Something related..

Down here in Colombia, many locals say that when it is really hot out...earthquakes occur more frequently.
In the few years that Ive lived here, that theory has held true. Ive only felt mild tremors, but they do seem to happen on hotter days.

There is a connection between drought and earthquakes. However, it's not the weight of the water that is the biggest factor. Studies in China showed that after a prolonged drought, when the rains finally came, it was then that earthquakes increased. Drought is part of the cycle, it changes the structure of the crust. When the water recharges aquifers and refills spaces within the rocks, it can also lubricate faults. I was read a study that show that certain kinds of rock becomes extremely slippery when wet.

If there is lots of clay based rock within the fault zone, the water can causes it to slip.

So, drought and the water cycle work together to change the rock and make the fault unstable. It is the same as the way weather will cause erosion from drying and soaking of the land. Expansion and contraction fracture rock. Water can percolate through the rock and swell the rocks and well as lubricate.

In "Fracking" water disposal, water is pumped into the ground and the water is forced into rock layers which can absorb the water. Water is causing earthquakes in Oklahoma, Texas, etc...

A few days before the Great San Francisco Earthquake in 1906, film was shot on a trolley. In the potholes of the street, you can see water. It had rained.

www.youtube.com...

Here is a report on the weather for the area for 1906...

In the report, it states,

" As a whole the year was one of generous rainfall. It is quite evident that the present season, and to some degree the one preceding, are in a well-marked wet ----- period. The year opened with rain..."

So, before the earthquake, it was a wet California..

books.google.ca... n&sa=X&ei=3qw3VaNc0IzIBMvSgXA&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=1906%20california%20rain&f=false

a reply to: ericblair4891

I live under Mt Lassen, Mt Shasta, Shasta Dam, Whiskey dam, and Im on the Sacramento River. Ive lived through a couple of droughts now, so I know its part of a cycle. However, this area is all RED CLAY. Its slippery when wet. Where I live the ground will turn to mud, if there is a quake. I am concerned that when there is an uptick in rain and especially ice, we are going to see some rock and rollers.

I am especially concerned about future frost quakes when the weather goes back to normal. And yes, I know I need to move.

Rain storms dump tremendous amunts of water in a short time onto the surface, changing the balance of weight on plates to some degree. I don't recall any major quakes occurring during storms or after winter deluges in California… ever.

a reply to: intrptr

There was a severe drought 1987-1992. The Oakland Earthquake was October, 1989. According to weather charts, there was some relief from rains in the spring of 1989. And if I'm reading it right, there was a storm a month before the earthquake.

Also, regarding clay, there is a report that that is what caused the Japanese Megathrust.

originally posted by: ericblair4891
a reply to: intrptr

There was a severe drought 1987-1992. The Oakland Earthquake was October, 1989. According to weather charts, there was some relief from rains in the spring of 1989. And if I'm reading it right, there was a storm a month before the earthquake.

Then I stand corrected on one case in California. That 89 quake was epi centered over an "extinct" volcano. The day after the quake drilling into ground water in the area uncovered sulphur content. Sure sign of deep volcanic activity.

That has more connection with deep tectonics (quake was centered 50 miles deep) and less with sub surface water.

Remember, San Andreas Fault in SF bay area region is strike slip fault, entirely dependent on pressures along the entire fault length, not local water tables.

a reply to: intrptr

Water doesn't have to travel deep to cause a deep earthquake. Let me over-simplify so as not to confuse others, and myself.

Faults in California generally run north-south. The two major plates in California are sliding passed each other. When there are no large earthquakes (let's forget about slow silent earth movement) it means the fault is locked. When there is rainfall, the water will run west toward the ocean. If the permeable swells more on one side than the other, the imbalance will change and increase stresses to point of rupture. Also, the swelling and changing channels for aquifer flow, will apply pressure in every direction. This pressure will increase pressure deep within the crust.

There was a new report that is suggesting the mantle is full of water. Water did not just come from dirty snowballs from space. This means it all through the crust. Meaning water could be migrate deeper than we think...

a reply to: ericblair4891

There was a new report that is suggesting the mantle is full of water. Water did not just come from dirty snowballs from space. This means it all through the crust. Meaning water could be migrate deeper than we think…

The mantle is superheated rock, pretty sure about that. I think the deeper we go, the more liquids migrate upward. Take lava for instance…

a reply to: intrptr

Yes, the water migrates up, in the form of super-heated water or gas. Cooler water migrates down as well. Sometimes, the water is trapped within the crust and can be pushing back down deeper into the mantle via plate tectonics. Water is too dynamic and when there is chance, water will move. In biology, it can through osmosis. In rock, it moves through and in the rock. Even when molten, water is trapped as a gas.

Evidence of deep water has been found... From an article,

"For many years, scientists have attempted to establish exactly how much water may be cycling between the Earth’s surface and interior reservoirs through the action of plate tectonics. Northwestern University geophysicist Steve Jacobsen and University of New Mexico seismologist Brandon Schmandt have found deep pockets of magma around 400 miles beneath North America — a strong indicator of the presence of H₂O stored in the crystal structure of high-pressure minerals at these depths."

Water, water, everywhere. The most dynamic thing on earth. And, apparently, in the earth. Did the earthquake in Japan destroy buildings and kill thousands. NO. It was the water.

Water gives life and takes it away.

Scientists Detect Evidence of ‘Oceans Worth’ of Water in Earth’s Mantle -
See more at: www.astrobio.net...

a reply to: ericblair4891

Northwestern University geophysicist Steve Jacobsen and University of New Mexico seismologist Brandon Schmandt have found deep pockets of magma around 400 miles beneath North America — a strong indicator of the presence of H₂O stored in the crystal structure of high-pressure minerals at these depths."

But not in reservoirs that deep like seas…

trapped in the structure of rock.

a reply to: intrptr

Yes, I understand that the water they are talking about is trapped in crystallized form and only amounts to about 1%. I like tiny numbers. And of course, we are now down deep and how can water from the surface get there? It can't directly. So, I accept your point it's not direct. But what I am trying to assert is that water can be found at every level as we go deeper and deeper into the earth. And at each level, there is a cycle which reacts to the rock and heat and pressure. Everything at this level is pretty much speculation. We can only use seismic waves and tomography to make good guesses at the structure. Even that bit of water they got to sample was pushed up via a volcano. (wow calbuco) I am speculating that we will find lots and lots of water the more we look and the deeper we can reach.

I believe the water deep in the mantle changes thermal currents. If you have rock that has water in it, and it is in pockets, it will be lighter than rock without water. There will be circulation and this changes pressure about these pockets.

If you every heat a pot of hot oil and had a bit of water at the bottom, it gets distributed in the most bizarre fashion. I love watching the water work its way out. First the oil and water mix. The water thins and flows in patterns that resemble cells in the body. Eventually the steaming water gas crawls and pops its way up and out.

Before we had better understanding of glaciers, it was thought that most of the melting would pool on the surface and evaporate. Instead, water cuts its way downward until it hits rock. It then runs underneath the glacier cut out channels with super-cooled water. The glacier is actually sliding on a thin layer of water. Water is in our atmosphere and has a cycle. Water on the surface has a cycle interconnected with the atmosphere. The same is true for the "atmosphere" within the mantle of the earth. Of course I'm speculating. But, the fact is that there is water there. And how much, no one knows.

I agree there is no direct link with deep water and earthquakes. No proof. Yet.

I just watched a special about sink holes last night. It's the same concept ericblair4891, the water fills in the crack and crevasses, then during a drought, the empty spaces start compacting. Shifting dirt and creating sink holes. It is prevalent in limestone because water is acidic (who knew) and it eats away at the limestone creating larger crevasses. Florida is the worst state for sink holes, like over 3,500 sink holes - yikes. But they are all over the US.

a reply to: StoutBroux

I bet you watched a Nova program. It was marvelous. Sinkholes, buried alive on Nova. Awesome. My favorite part was the experiment where you can visualize the collapse of the sinkhole. Forget about arguing in verbal about how deep the water goes, or what form it takes. The best way to understand water is to watch it. I am the expert. I've been watching it since the day I was born. It streamed down the windows when I was just a baby. I'm so old now I've been around long enough to watch it destroy thousands of kilometers of coastline when it overflows the tub. Water is my obsession. Water. WAter . water water.

Do you not get it? That's not a god damn question anymore. Water. We do not understand water. We take it for granted.

Because it is.



Without it. We are nothing. It is everywhere we live. And it is absent, where life is not.

That is not a coincidence. It's almost like the dark energy on earth. It is the dynamic.

Water. I know why I'm so stressed today. I haven't had my second shower. The damn sealing around the tub needs fixing. If I take a shower, I will inadvertantly spray water into the vulnerable zone. The water will bounce on the wall and trickle down into the cracks and fissures. Through wicking, like osmosis, the water is travelling down the wall and behind the toielette. The tiles are starting to come away from the wall and I need to silicone it before it becomes a problem.

there. I thought I was going nowhere. Yes, it's too much water causing the problem. Wow, to think. The problem is always whether we have too much, or, too effing little water. I am a genius. Why? Because I know it's all about the water.

Ah, to hell with it. I'm going to have a hot steamy shower.

Do you think hell has showers?

Anyway, here's a tv show about sinkholes. which are caused by water.

www.youtube.com...

a reply to: ericblair4891

I may not have watched as much water as you but growing up on the coast and later living around large rivers I feel the same passion as you. I actually love water. The magic of it, the smell, the feel. It is a beautiful thing. We are NOTHING without water. It is second only to air in my book.

a reply to: StoutBroux

It is not second to air, it is the air. H2O can be air/gas, liquid/water, and a solid/ice.

What I have been mainly trying to emphasize is that water is at every level all the way down into the mantle. The core is iron and nickel. So I think that may be the exception. It's hard to imagine all those deep layers somehow containing water. But it is.

The best way to understand something is to see it. As you may have noticed, I have been struggling to paint you all a picture of a deep hidden place. And I am trying to describe a substance that sometimes only accounts for one percent of a volume. Yet, that small volume has an incredible ability to be an energetic catalyst. I felt as if the image I was trying to paint would forever elude me. I was wrong.

The internet gave me the answer in the form of new news. There is a new understanding of Yellowstone's magma chamber. The important thing to know about Yellowstone is that it is a giant volcano with an amazing hydro-thermal system we know as geysers. Yellowstone, Iceland and New Zealand are some of the rare places on this planet where this dynamic geo process exists. Water is interacting with hot rock where we can see it. Fire and ice.

I just read an article and it has an illustration which show exactly what I have been trying to show. I will post a picture where you will see the magma chamber and the different levels of crust and mantle. The thing to note is the cracks inbetween. This is where water and hot rock mix. This is the geyser plumbing. But it doesn't just happen at the surface. When you have fracturing in rock, you have space for the water to travel. Even deep. Because then the water can travel by moving the rock by changing density, as well as migrating upward as a superheated gas.

Water is the fuel. Think about it. What is water. Hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen is what enables most forms of combustion. Hydrogen. Well, that is a pretty good source of fuel as well. Like in the sun and in rocket fuel. Did I forget the biggest explosion ever on the planet. Thanks Russia.

Any who. Water is it. Take it off the planet and we have nothing.
Oh, here's a picture which I hope says a thousand words.


news.discovery.com...