Margareta Andrén, co-author at the Icelandic borehole from which groundwater samples showed chemical changes before two earthquakes.
Margareta Andrén, co-author at the Icelandic borehole from which groundwater samples showed chemical changes before two earthquakes.


Their findings imply that measurements of groundwater chemistry might one day help with monitoring seismic hazards. Alasdair Skelton and colleagues sampled groundwater from a flowing well in northern Iceland on a weekly basis for five years. They found that the chemistry of the groundwater changed about two to six months before each of two earthquakes that occurred in October 2012 and April 2013.

The researchers suggest that as stresses built up in Earth’s crust prior to each quake, the rocks expanded causing mixing of previously distinct groundwater components. This was recorded by changes of the concentrations of elements such as sodium and changes of the ratio of the isotopes of hydrogen.

The authors do not claim that this method can predict earthquakes, but the study highlights the potential for using regular and long-term monitoring of groundwater chemistry in seismically active areas to identify heightened earthquake risk.

Contacts

Alasdair Skelton (StockholmC University, Sweden)
Tel: +46 8 767 70 76 99; E-mail: alasdair.skelton@geo.su.se

Margareta Andrén (Forskarskolan)
Tel: +46 706 81 81 79; E-mail: margareta.andren@skrapan.uppsala.se

Gabrielle Stockmann
Tel: +46 725 07 31 08; E-mail: gabrielle.stockmann@geo.su.se