BERKELEY, Calif. — Scientists in California say the cycle of heavy snows, heavy rains, and drought might trigger more earthquakes.
The basic theory is simple enough.
In a word: gravity.
Heavy snows and rains cause the ground to depress, and when it dries up, the ground rebounds, flexing the fault line.
Researchers tell Newsweek it's called seasonal loading.
They believe that causes more earthquakes, maybe by as much as 10-percent, but they say more long-term studies need to be done.
It’s information that could be useful here in Oklahoma too, where quakes have become much more common in recent years.