Do major earthquakes set off other fault areas in other parts of the world?

Answer 1

you are talking about the famous domino theory. it has not been scientifically proven yet.

Answer 2

An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. Stresses in the earth's outer layer push the sides of the fault together. Stress builds up and the rocks slips suddenly, releasing energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel during an earthquake. An EQ occurs when plates grind and scrape against each other.

Often, people wonder if an earthquake in Alaska may have triggered an earthquake in California; or if an earthquake in Chile is related to an earthquake that occurred a week later in Mexico. Over these distances, the answer is no. Even the Earth's rocky crust is not rigid enough to transfer stress fields efficiently over thousands of miles.

When the the Koyna earthquake occurred in Mahrashtra there were wile theories of its being the result of some big dams under construction on the other parts of the world. Till then it was believed that the Deccan plateauhad had all the earthquakes in ancient times and was more or less a settled area.Both these findings were subsequently found to be erroneous.

Answer 3

Geophysics are similar to dominoes, (the old domino theory)...when a shift occurs, there is movement in the plates and geologic disturbances or potential geological disturbances in other areas. The plates are massive and the fissures may run thousands of miles but cause little disturbance initially or weaken the area for either earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. But the plate movements continue and at some point another earthquake can occur. The tsunami of 2004( caused by a sumarine earthquake) set the stage for a lesser submarine earthquake off the coast of Indonesia in 2006 which in turn may have set the stage for another quake of greater or lesser magnitude. At the same time the plate may have allowed fissuring and subsequently volcanic eruptions over an area that has had many volcanic events with possible extentions to the Philipppines, Japan, China, Alaska and the Pacific northwest and along the western coast of South America. No geologic event is isolated and the greater the force of the event, the wider the potential flux.

Answer 4

Not faults far far away in another part of the world. The plate shift could set off other quakes in that area as more shifting could occur causing them. You've got a good question.
I live in CA and I have felt quite a few earthquakes.

Answer 5

We know that the December 2004 earthquake was so bad that it caused the Earth's orbit to wobble just a tiny bit. But the succession of quakes which followed in that region simply was a "release valve" for another major one--since these things only happen once a century.

However, to answer your question: No. None of them are connected in such a way which will cause the rest to "activate" from just one major quake like the one in Indonesia.

HOWEVER, it is noted that a major "event" of seismic proportions would have to be done in such a way which will cause a "chain-reaction" in all the rest of the faults.

The only thing I can think of is either an asteroid impact or a comet hit. But the chances of that happening are pretty small--since Jupiter acts as a "shield" against such things with its massive gravity well.

Answer 6

An earthquake is more likely to trigger other earthquakes nearby. We call them "aftershocks". It is thought that aftershocks are merely things "settling in" and stabilizing after major ground shifts.

Earthquakes occur to relieve pressure built-up over time in a given geologic formation.

There are numerous theories about the hows and whys of the origin and/or cause of the pressure. Some theories involve the movement of tectonic plates, others blame the decline in the magnetic field of the earth.

One thing we know for sure; earthquakes are increasing in frequency and severity.

Let's hope the trend doesn't continue.

Answer 7

IN a very strict sense , yes. But it depends on whatb you mean by other parts of the world. Very powerful earthquakes at one place can certainly cause more faults to appear where they are felt. It can cause new micro faults and close some. It can also set off other quakes. But it will be highly unlikely to cause changes in other major fault lines far away.

Answer 8

Because the world is one huge ball, not separate pieces. Earthquakes are shifts in the plates of the earth, like pieces of a puzzle. Thus one could affect the next and the next.

There is a theory that at one time there were at the most two continents and that the shifts/earthquakes caused all the pieces to break off.

Answer 9

Logically- I would think they would... Afterall, after an earthquake- those stresses in the Earth- would tend to get shifted towards someplace ELSE. And if there's a faultline in THAT area- I would think that it could set off another earthquake if the conditions were right. I don't know if there have been any studys done on the matter...- But it makes sense to me.

Answer 10

Yes, they sure do. We were in Las Vegas one time when there was a major earthquake in California, and we very definitely felt the effects. A high-rise hotel is not a good place to be when an earthquake happens in the middle of the night!!

Answer 11

According to some prevailing theories, yes. Case in point. The fault line that runs through the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem has more tension on it than any other on the planet. This is due to the extraordinary amount of time since the last earthquake on that fault, at least 1,000 years. It is believed that when an earthquake finally occurs that it will be so strong it will be felt all over the world. It is also believed that it will set off earthquakes on every fault line on the planet and cause every active volcano to erupt. Basically Biblical Armagedon.