thegreencall As the climate warms, glaciers retreat — but what lies beneath begins to rise.
🔬 A new study from the University of Alaska Fairbanks reveals that melting glaciers are subtly increasing the risk of earthquakes in Alaska. When ice disappears, the land beneath, once compressed under its weight, begins to rise. This postglacial rebound alters stress on nearby fault lines, nudging them toward seismic activity.
📍 The Fairweather Fault, near the site of the massive 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake and tsunami, is one such zone where researchers found both glacial retreat and increased tectonic stress.
🗣️ “Glacial melt doesn’t cause earthquakes outright,” explains state seismologist Michael West, “but it gives a stressed fault the extra push.”
🧠 This groundbreaking research highlights how climate change isn’t just atmospheric — it’s geological.
📚 Source:
Jerald Pinson, University of Alaska Fairbanks – April 30, 2024
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