Terrawatch: how sea level changes can trigger earthquakes

Study of seismic activity in southern Turkey shows even small fluctuations can have a big impact

Most earthquake faults require a huge input of energy to make them shift but occasionally a tiny shove is enough. Recent data from the Armutlu peninsula, on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, Turkey, show the small stress changes associated with sea level fluctuations are enough to trigger quakes up to magnitude 4.5.

Scientists monitored seismic activity and sea level change in the region for six months and found the likelihood of earthquakes on the peninsula increased significantly when the sea level was rising. The effect was amplified during the winter, when the variations in sea level were greater.