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This story is from December 11, 2017

7 reasons why there has been an increase in number of earthquakes

As per a report by The Guardian, scientists have warned there could be a significant growth in the numbers of devastating earthquakes around the world in 2018. Here are seven main reasons that may have led to a rise in seismic activity across the globe.
7 reasons why there has been an increase in number of earthquakes
Key Highlights
With so many earthquakes in the news recently, it seems that the frequency of big temblors is on the rise. As per a report by The Guardian, scientists have warned there could be a significant growth in the numbers of devastating earthquakes around the world in 2018. Here are seven main reasons that may have led to a rise in seismic activity across the globe.
NEW DELHI. With so many earthquakes in the news recently, it seems that the frequency of big temblors is on the rise. As per a report by The Guardian, scientists have warned there could be a significant growth in the numbers of devastating earthquakes around the world in 2018. Here are seven main reasons that may have led to a rise in seismic activity across the globe.
1.There have been variations in the speed of the Earth's rotation which may have triggered intense seismic activity.
Although fluctuations in the rotation are small and may only change the length of a day by one millisecond, they often lead to the release of vast amounts of underground energy, researchers explain.
2.Natural geomorphological phenomenon isn’t the only factor responsible for earthquakes. Activities like mining, nuclear explosions and groundwater extraction has seen an increase in the number of human-induced earthquakes. As per available data, over 728 quakes in past 149 years might have been induced by human activities.
3.Man-made earthquakes are getting more common due to poor planning in infrastructural activities like fracking for oil, dam-building, pumping gas without re-filling.
4.Another reason attributed by scientists for increasing earthquakes is the cooling of earth. Scientists claim cooling causes the contraction of the earth’s crust, which results into increased volcanic disturbance causing earthquakes.
5.A study claims an increase in the number of earthquakes in recent years not because there are substantially more earthquakes, but because there are more seismic instruments and they are able to record more earthquakes.
6.There has been a spurt in big geological processes. These processes are driving the reactive seismic forces that create earthquakes along faults, trenches, and the planet’s many subduction zones.
7.Particularly from Indian perspective, Indian tectonic plate is slowly going underneath Eurasian plate with the convergence rate of 47mm per year. Due to this energy accumulation in this region, it is getting prone to greater magnitude earthquakes.
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