Important Takeaways:

• On a dynamic planet like Earth, it can be easy for drivers of change to go unnoticed – but scientists have now established and investigated an unexpected link between the Sun and our home world.
• Sunspots, and therefore solar activity, cause seismic activity, according to a team led by computer scientist Matheus Henrique Junqueira Saldanha of the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Their new research reveals how.
• “Solar heat drives atmospheric temperature changes, which in turn can affect things like rock properties and underground water movement,” Junquiera Saldanha says.
• “Such fluctuations can make rocks more brittle and prone to fracturing, for example – and changes in rainfall and snowmelt can alter the pressure on tectonic plate boundaries. While these factors may not be the main drivers of earthquakes, they could still be playing a role that can help to predict seismic activity.”
• There’s a lot going on here on Earth. Our planet has a squishy interior covered by a crust that is divided into discrete sections and an active weather system. There are a lot of potential triggers for monumental shifts in the planet’s crust that could result in an earthquake.
• We’re not very good at predicting seismic activity. There are simply too many variables, and the process that leads up to a tremor or quake is long and complicated.
• However, knowing the triggers means we could better assess the probability of earthquake activity, and keep a keener eye on potential early warning signs.

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