Is there a relation between increased volcanic activity and seismic
activity-
looking at say 1000 years, have there been rhythmic peaks and valleys of each
and are they similar in occurrence? Was Mt. Pinatubo a precursor to Kobe?
Joe
Dear Joe,
I answered a similar
question
not too long ago. Please have a look at it.
Volcanologists and seismologists do not have enough information to answer
your question with much accuracy. The problem is getting information for
events that happened in remote areas or areas where the inhabitants did
not keep a written record. Most volcanic deposits can be dated if
samples are collected (but money, geologists, and time would be needed
and there are a lot of volcanoes). Dating paleoearthquakes is possible
(by dating offset materials) but this has mostly been done in highly
active areas in the United States. So they available data are skewed to
the last few decades and probably the United States.
My gut feeling is that, globally, there is not a correlation between
earthquakes and the number of volcanic eruptions. Both are related to
plate tectonics but are operating at different scales.
Sorry for a vague answer.
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
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