Chile has a long, long history of earthquakes.

[MineralMan]

For example, in 1960, an earthquake of 9.9 magnitude struck there. This may have been the largest earthquake ever recorded.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/events/1960_05_22.php

Chile is on a very active plate boundary. Today's earthquake is just another in a long series of massive quakes off its coast.

Speculations about causes other than simple plate tectonics are unwarranted and ridiculous.

[MineralMan]

1. More information about Chile's earthquake history

can be found in this .pdf file.

http://www.rms.com/Publications/ChileEQ.pdf

Now, can we stop the idle, unscientific speculation? Please?

[MineralMan]

2. More data on recent historical earthquakes in Chile

http://www.eeri.org/lfe/chile.html

DATE LOCATION MAGNITUDE*
Nov 14, 2007 Antofagasta Ms 7.7
June 13, 2005 Tarapaca Ms 7.8
August 28, 2004 Argentina Border Ms 6.5
March 5, 1987 Antofagasta Ms 7.2
March 3, 1985 Llolleo Ms 7.5
May 22, 1960 Valdivia M 9.5

[Dappleganger]

3. It takes little time to discover...

that these quakes have nothing to do with global climate change. Look at the dates, people. The world, she's been a shakin' for a very very long time. ;-)

[MineralMan]

5. Really. It takes less time to find out the truth than to read one of

the threads full of speculative nonsense.

[MineralMan]

4. Additional Information on Chilean Earthquakes

A very good paper:

http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/latest_research/2005/20051201/20051201.html

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Who is claiming it (or they, including Haiti) is due to climate change?

Geologic events can affect climate, through volcanoes (airborne particles affecting the atmosphere) or earthquakes (potentially changing ocean currents, and thus the atmosphere above them); but I can't imagine any way that climate can affect geological events short of creation of an ice age.

[MineralMan]

8. There are several threads on the earthquake where people with

no scientific knowledge are speculating that it's global warming that's causing this "increase" in earthquakes. They don't even know that there is no increase. Six months after an earthquake happens somewhere, they can't remember it at all, so the next one comes as some sort of huge suprise.

Never mind that there are large earthquakes somewhere on this planet on an almost weekly basis. They just can't remember longer than a month or two.

It must be terrible to live in a world where repetitive phenomena come as a surprise each time they occur. Uff da!

Here's an example of such a thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7806821

[The_Commonist]

25. I chimed in on that thread...

I wrote:

"That's so funny... I just wondered the same thing.
Moments ago, when I was reading a thread about Chile, and shortly afterwards, a thread about global warming. I asked myself if the two could be related, something I had never considered before.
Of course, I'm not informed enough to be able to answer..."

Doesn't mean that I believe the two are related, but I do believe it is a good question.
Why are you so upset that people are asking this question?
Isn't that how science works?
You ask a question, and gather evidence to support and refute that question until it is answered to your satisfaction?

FWIW, I lived in S.F. during the Loma Prieta earthquake. I'm not surprised when a quake happens somewhere, but it does seem as if there were more so far this year than usual.

Isn't it worth asking if that's relevant?

[pruple]

7. K&R

Thank you for this information.

[Cleita]

9. When I lived in Chile and I lived in mining camp that had geologists, the geologists

said that the earthquake activity in Chile is mostly volcanic in origin.

[MineralMan]

10. The volcanoes in Chile are the direct result of the plate

tectonics offshore in the Pacific. It is the subduction zone there that creates the volcanoes. The 9.5-9.9 earthquake there in 1960 was also an offshore quake. Quakes centered near volcanoes are generally much smaller than quakes generated by plate movements.

And, yet, both phenomena are directly related to the movements of those plates. Google plate tectonics.

Why not learn something instead of posting stuff that's not factual? I mean, seriously. The information is out there, easy to access, and will inform you so you don't misinform others.

Here is an excellent, simple article on plate tectonics. I recommend that you read it.

http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/100/plate-tectonics.html

Thanks.

[Cleita]

11. So in your mind the plates cause volcanoes to rumble? Or, do the volcanoes

cause the plates to move? It has been my experience both in Chile and in California that the activities are independent of each other.

[Cleita]

12. Thanks for all the articles, but since I live on the San Andreas fault and many

others, and there is all the evidence of an extinct volcano that my county is sitting in the caldera right now, not to mention our nuke plant up the road, I have read up a lot about faults a cautionary thing on my part. When my ass get's blown up I want to know why.

[MineralMan]

14. I give up. You won't learn. You won't listen. If you refuse to

get the correct information, please at least refrain spreading misinformation.

[Cleita]

15. Well, that's condescending of you. This conversation is over. n/t

[MineralMan]

13. It has nothing to do with my mind. It has to do with how it all works.

Your experience has nothing to do with knowledge of plate tectonics.

In both California and Chile, the line of volcanoes, both active and extinct, are above a zone where the subduction zone of two plates causes heating. The magma rises and comes to the surface above the subduction zone between the plates. Where it reaches the surface, you have volcanic action.

The movement of plates also causes earthquakes. Not at the same time as volcanic eruptions, generally, but the causes are the same.

In Southern California, the earthquakes are caused by a different sort of plate movements.

Why not just read some actual information and learn something about this? You are distributing false information because you do not have true information. That means that someone like me has to come along and set the record straight every time you post something that is incorrect.

Go read something about plate tectonics. Learn about the subject. Then, you'll be able to tell people things that are true, rather than making speculations that are based on misinformation. Please.

[Cleita]

16. You know I love book knowledge but nothing beats personal experience.

Get out and travel somewhere. I find it's the best education.

By the way, I have not spread one iota of misinformation. When I speculated I called it that. Is it now against the law to speculate? I hardly call that spreading misinformation. Also, I once experienced a big bad earthquake in Chile on December 26, 1948 that went on for 24 hours in after shocks. I know first hand what an earthquake in Chile feels like and what it looks like afterwards. I have also witnessed the results of a tsunami that wiped out a fishing village on the coast killing everyone in it. So I don't snoot down your nose at me.

[MineralMan]

18. Aw, jeez. You've felt an earthquake so you understand them?

Really? As for travelling, I've traveled all over this planet in my 64 years. Speculating about things that are well-understood is the worst sort of misinformation spreading.

You can understand earthquakes and plate tectonics. You choose not to. Personal experience has nothing to do with understanding plate tectonics. Nothing whatsoever.

[Cleita]

20. Well feeling an earthquake, actually many of them over my lifetime, has led me

to learn about them and quite honestly your speculation is just that as well. Just because you read a few scientific journals doesn't make you an expert. There are all kinds of scientific theories and papers written on them and the fact is that the scientists are in as much disagreement about the causes and affects as anything else. Also, global warming science is a very uncharted field yet and the scientists are just learning about it so there is no absolute knowledge about this until it all plays out and is documented.

[Dappleganger]

24. So in effect, you're saying that science is worthless and observational

anecdotal experience is more reliable for explanations of natural phenomena?

Do you still believe the world is flat?

[Cleita]

30. I haven't said anything of the sort and resent you psuedo-armchair-scientists

putting words in my mouth. Do you believe this is the only universe in existence? It hasn't been proven you know but many people with credentials in science believe that there are more universes, but there is no proof yet, so I guess in your mind those scientists believe the earth is flat too.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

19. Actually, as far as science goes, personal experience ranks pretty low on the importance scale

Example:

That friend that had an uncle who smoked 3 packs a day and lived to 99 does not mean that smoking is healthy

[Cleita]

22. I know that, but the personal experience of a lot of people like me is a field

test or experiment or whatever you guys call it and I am not claiming anything, only speculating, but I really get pissed when some armchair scientist thinks they have all the answers. The true scientist has an open mind and must change their thinking when new knowledge is needed. There is no real answer to this. We don't know if there is a connection or not because no one has studied it yet.

[Dappleganger]

23. Are you a scientist? nt

[Cleita]

29. Of course not and I have already claimed that and for the purpose of

speculation tried to have a discussion about something I have experienced, but evidently there is no room for debate if it isn't already published in a science journal somewhere. Good day everyone and remember Galileo.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

31. For every Galileo there are 1000 cranks who were proven horribly wrong.

I hear this line at least once a week from someone arguing against vaccines, against evolution or for homeopathy or some other such nonsense. My training is in biology and I do not pretend to know everything about plate tectonics but using Galileo as an excuse to account for lack of evidence is a tactic every scientist and science major is familiar with.

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. Think of it this way - which is bigger? A volcano, or a plate?

There is no way that even the largest volcano - short of maybe a 'supervolcano' - could affect plate movement. It would be like an ant pushing a log. OTOH, the way that plate movement creates volcanloes is pretty well understood.

[crew doyle]

33. Your clearly subjective experience has nothing to do with science.

You shouldn't suggest that it does or even might.

[Cetacea]

17. I heartfully encourage speculation from all

A non-expert on DU offered one of the most plausable explanations as to what motivated a killer whale to drown his trainer the other day. Non of the experts on Orcas have offered a similar explanation. IS it THE reason beyond a shadow of a doubt? Who knows at this point?

Why would you discourage curiosity and speculation? Making blanket statements is another matter...

[MineralMan]

21. You may encourage whatever you wish.

DU is a public forum. Anyone can post any damn fool speculation they can imagine here.

[Cetacea]

28. And anybody

Can be the brain police.

[cherokeeprogressive]

34. LOL and they usually do. n/t

[KittyWampus]

26. there is a difference between "cause" and "precipitant".

[Blue-Jay]

32. Stop making it difficult to blame earthquakes on people.

Your "science" is not welcome here.

[MineralMan]

35. Very good.

I'll certainly bear that in mind...:toast:

[PhD]

36. But...but...global warming did it!!

Some guy on the internet said so!