Mauna Loa Summit Closed With 65 Earthquakes Hitting Volcano in One Day
NewsweekDec 23, 2022
Hawaii Rattled By Quakes During Mauna Loa Volcano Unrest
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Image copyright: Getty Images [via Fox News]
The Facts
On Friday, a series of earthquakes rattled Hawaii as the world's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, entered a state of heightened unrest. The strongest quake recorded reportedly had a magnitude of 5.0. It is not clear whether the developments have had any effect on continuing unrest.
Several aftershocks followed the quakes, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has said that aftershocks large enough to be felt may continue for days or weeks.
The Spin
Narrative A
There is evidence that climate change causes or exacerbates all kinds of natural disasters, including earthquakes. As ice melts, its weight can push down on the earth's crust, triggering earthquakes, tsunamis, and even volcanic eruptions. Though it might not be a direct cause, the manmade climate crisis is making unnatural and extreme weather events worse and more frequent.
Narrative B
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.
