Earthquakes in Taiwan are linked to seasonal changes in water levels

Written by Donna Low

A building damaged by an earthquake in eastern Taiwan in 2018

Richie B Tongo / Iba-Effie / Shutterstock

Earthquakes in Taiwan may be related to seasonal changes in the water cycle, driven by the Asian monsoons.

Taiwan has a high frequency of damaging earthquakes and a wide variation in the amount of rain and water stored in the ground, as a result of the torrential rains and typhoons that swept the island between May and September.

Ads

Ya-Ju Hsu of Academia Sinica in Taiwan and colleagues analyzed earthquake data in western and eastern Taiwan, and found an association between seismic activity and fluctuations in the water cycle.

Hsu first noticed that many earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more occurred during the dry season in Taiwan between February and April.

She and her colleagues analyzed seismic data between 2002 and 2018, as well as groundwater measurements from 40 monitoring stations and data on how the Earth’s crust is changing in response to seasonal water loading.

They found that seismic activity in western Taiwan was highest in the dry season and lowest between July and September, at the end of the monsoon season.

“In the dry season, we see more earthquakes due to the removal of the water load,” says Hsu. The researchers found that this decrease in groundwater led to a peak crust recoil even when it was under low pressure.

Eastern Taiwan had a more complex pattern of seismic activity. There, deep earthquakes tend to occur more frequently between December to February.

Shallow earthquakes have also been linked to changes in groundwater level and changes in the crust, but there was greater variation in their timing.

The researchers also looked at records between 1604 and 2018 of 63 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater, and found similar trends in seasonal variation in seismic activity.

Hsu says the large amount of seismic activity during the dry season may increase the chances of rupture of a larger fault system, leading to more large earthquakes in the dry season.

Journal reference: Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126 / sciadv.abf7282

More on these topics:

.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos