University of Alberta geologist Patrick Wu hypothesizes that glacial melting due to climate change could cause increased volcanic activity and earthquakes. His linkage between them is the reduction in pressure on land areas as the ice (which can be over 1 KM thick in areas of Greenland and Antarctica) melts, and an increase in pressure upon the sea floor as sea level rises.
Many geologists might doubt this relation, however, very broad areas will be exposed to these changes and locations teetering on the verge of eruption or release could be enabled. Alan Glazner of the University of North Carolina reports that he also sees linkages between climate change and volcanic activity. ""When you melt glacial ice, several hundred metres to a kilometre thick . . . you've decreased the load on the crust and so you've decreased the pressure holding the volcanic conduits closed."
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"Climate change could cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions" at K-LightFM.com
Labels: Earthquakes, Global-Warming, Volcanoes
