I heard that when a volcano erupts usulay an eathquake happens
somewhere else, is that true?
Alex
Hi Alex,
Well, I guess if you just looked at the newspapers you would find that there
are volcanoes erupting all over the place and there are earthquakes
happening all over the place. Saying that an eruption in one location is
the cause of an earthquake somewhere else though, would be a different
story. Volcanic eruptions only cause earthquakes in the vicinity of the
volcano. You could say that an eruption on the north flank of Pinatubo
caused an earthquake to be felt on the south flank, or perhaps even in a
town 30 km away, but that's pretty much the extent of the connection.
I hope this helps to explain that both processes are going on all the
time all over the world, and they are connected in a way since both are
related to plate tectonics. However, to say that an eruption in Hawai'i
(for example) is related to an earthquake in Indonesia simply because the
two events happened at the sametime, would be a mistake.
Sincerely,
Scott Rowland
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