Could Solar Flares Trigger Earthquakes?

Earthquakes are well understood, but very hard to predict. Instead of looking at tectonic pressure or fracking, researchers in Japan have postulated a new source that could be triggering quakes: solar flares. In their study, published in the International Journal of Plasma Environmental Science and Technology, the researchers suggest a link between solar flares and subsequent earthquakes, with the flares' effects reaching deep into Earth's crust.

The paper suggests that solar flares disrupt Earth's magnetic field, which, in turn, causes changes in the upper atmosphere. These purportedly filter down to the forces affecting Earth's crust. It could be that little nudge that's what tips stress-loaded tectonic plates into finally shifting and releasing all their pent-up energy.

"Let me be clear—we are not claiming that solar flares generate tectonic stress," Ken Umeno, the study's senior author, told Gizmodo. "Our argument is about timing, not energy ...