Full moons and new moons have long been omens of strange happenings and ill fortunes. While humans are probably still to blame for our own eccentricities, it turns out that some earthquakes might indeed be a response to the moon’s pull. Researchers led by Satoshi Ide of the University of Tokyo discovered that larger earthquakes — like Chile’s 2010 disaster, or Japan’s 2011 quake that spawned a devastating tsunami — are more likely to occur when the moon is near full or new.
Our planet feels more stress when the sun and moon align. A new study shows it might be enough to influence earthquakes. (Credit: Dan Bishop/Discover)
Dan Bishop/Discover
That’s because Earth is under additional stress when the sun and moon are aligned and tugging in gravitational unison, as happens during those lunar phases. The team, whose research appeared in Nature Geoscience in September, also found that the biggest ...
