Today’s interesting fact has to do with earthquakes.

Earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates slip past, under or over other tectonic plates.

You wouldn’t think that changes in sea level, or changes in the atmosphere could cause earthquakes, but recent studies of the frequency of earthquakes along fault lines and comparing sea levels and atmospheric changes have shown some surprising results.

When El Nino, a weather phenomenon occurs, it moves water from one side of the Pacific Ocean to the other. 

This can cause variations of more than 20 cm in the sea level in some areas.

They found that during the lowest levels, earthquakes can increase from the yearly average of 2 a year, to 8 a year.

Similar studies have suggested that earthquakes are more likely during atmospheric low pressure, than high pressure.

It seems that less pressure on faults allows them to move easier.

Which when you think of it, makes a lot of sense.

Today’s interesting fact has to do with carbon dioxide.

About 55 million years ago, the temperature of the earth rose six degrees over a period of about 20,000 years.

It seems that the increase took place because of an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

They have identified what produced the increase, and they estimate the temperature change was caused by an increase of 2 gigatons of CO2 a year over the normal release amounts during that period.

Compare that with modern days, when we are releasing 25 gigatons of CO2 a year.

This release 55 million years ago was important to us.

There was a minor extinction event, some say very minor, which killed off many larger mammal species.

But it did allow the evolution of monkeys, apes and hominids, which lead eventually to us.

It makes me wonder what our additions to our atmosphere will allow to evolve in the future.