Through decades of research, scientists have learned that large, powerful earthquakes commonly occur in groups, not in random patterns. But exactly why has so far remained a mystery. Now, new research, published July 13 in Scientific Reviews, asserts the first strong though still disputed evidence that powerful eruptions on the Sun can trigger mass earthquake events on Earth.

To the unaided eye, the Sun might seem relatively docile. But our star is constantly bombarding the solar system with vast amounts of energy and particles in the form of the solar wind. Sometimes, however, formidable eruptions on the Suns surface cause coronal mass ejections, or especially energetic floods of particles including ions and electrons that careen through the solar system at breakneck speeds. When they reach Earth, these charged particles can interfere with satellites, and under extreme circumstances, take down power grids. The new research suggests that particles from powerful eruptions like this specifically, the positively charged ions might be responsible for triggering groups of strong earthquakes.

Earthquakes typically occur when rocks grind past one another as Earths tectonic plates shift and jostle for position. When the intense friction thats locking plates together is overcome, the rocks break, releasing tremendous amounts of energy and shaking the ground.

But scientists have also noticed a pattern in some large earthquakes around the planet: they tend to occur in groups, not at random. This suggests there may be some global phenomenon thats triggering these worldwide earthquake parties. And though many researchers have done statistical studies to try to determine a cause before, no compelling theories have yet been rigorously proven.

So, to tackle the lingering mystery, the researchers of this latest study combed through 20 years of data on both earthquakes and solar activity, searching for any possible correlations. Specifically, the team used data from NASA-ESAs Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite, compiling measurements of protons (positively charged particles) that come from the Sun and wash over our planet.

Excerpt from:

Powerful eruptions on the Sun might trigger earthquakes - Astronomy Magazine