Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 14:43
Forums
Adaptations of Marine Worms in Antarctica

Mike,

I don't know how well you can follow the news while in Antarctica, but there was an earthquake on the East Coast today that originated in VA. I had read your journal about the earthquake in NZ and I was wondering if there are different types of earthquakes? I had heard that NZ was on a fault line where two plates collide. Is it the same in VA or do earthquakes happen for different reasons?

Thanks,

Alli L.

Thu, 08/25/2011 - 15:09

Michael League

Hi Alli! We woke up to the news of the East Coast earthquake this morning. Our
first thoughts were of our families and friends, mostly in the
mid-Atlantic region. Some of the research team called how to check on
loved ones.
Earthquakes usually happen for the same reasons. Stresses on the
Earth's crust force energy to travel through the surface as vibrations.
My understanding of the East Coast earthquake is that the processes
were similar to the Christchurch earthquakes. You already pointed out
the biggest difference - Christchurch sits where two tectonic plates
come together and the East Coast sits in the middle of a tectonic plate.
This makes earthquakes much rarer events for the East Coast.
I'm glad that you made the connection between the journal entry and
what just happened. You are definitely making good connections! We are
very grateful that there seems to be no major injuries or loss of life.