Three large magnitude earthquakes hit different parts of the world this Wednesday: one of, two of – of magnitudes 7.5 and 7.2 – and another of magnitude. The coincidence raises a question: are the events related?
The answer is no, according to the Caltech seismologist, Dra. Lucy Jones
Os earthquakes occurred in fault systems e distinct tectonic plate boundariesmeaning that one did not trigger the others. Jones explains that large tremors separated by thousands of kilometers generally do not increase the likelihood of another large magnitude earthquake in a different region.
The coincidence is in the date, not in the origin. Each earthquake occurred in areas known for intense seismic activity, where tension between tectonic plates has been building for decades or even centuries.
According to the expert, big earthquakeare part of the natural geological cycle of these regionsalthough it is not yet possible to predict exactly when they will occur.
