VERIFY QUESTION
This "Weather Wednesday" in VERIFY, we shake up the truth about earthquakes.
Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, a 2.4 magnitude quake hit Blowing Rock near Lenoir. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and there was no major damage. But, the situation prompted some questions about this intriguing weather phenomenon.
VERIFY SOURCE
To VERIFY, we consulted WFMY News 2 meteorologist Eric Chilton, who reached out to UNC Chapel Hill seismology professor Jonathan Lees.
We also referenced the U.S. Geological Survey.
VERIFY PROCESS
Lees told Chilton an earthquake is, technically, a tremor. Tremor is not a scientific term - it just means something that shakes. A shaky hand, for example, is called a tremor, too. When fault lines collapse and send out shock waves, that is when the tremor can be called an earthquake.
Lees further explained most scientists don't use the Richter Scale anymore. It is called a "magnitude scale," so the Blowing Rock quake was a 2.4 magnitude earthquake. And, yes, it was also a tremor.
Let's review some earthquake fact versus fiction.
Can scientists predict earthquakes?
No. The U.S. Geological Survey cannot predict the magnitude, timing and location of a future earthquake. USGS can predict aftershocks.
People can cause earthquakes.
That is partially true. Seismic activity has increased in certain countries and caused small quakes, because of humans injecting wastewater into deep disposal wells. The USGS notes the rate of earthquakes has increased dramatically over the past 10 years.
We've had a lot of rain. That must mean it's "earthquake weather."
There's no such thing. USGS confirms there is no known correlation between earthquakes and weather conditions above the surface.
VERIFY CONCLUSION
An earthquake - and anything that shakes - can be called a tremor. Earthquakes remain unpredictable by scientists and weather conditions.
Do you have a VERIFY inquiry? Contact Meghann Mollerus at mmollerus@wfmy.com or write on her Facebook timeline, Meghann Mollerus News.