6.8 Earthquake near the North Pole
By Denise
@petatonicsca (7070)
Japan
November 9, 2018 12:47am CST
You probably don't think of the area north of Iceland as a place to have a large earthquake, do you? One happened today. 6.8 is nothing to sneeze at. Fortunately, it happened in the middle of the ocean at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge stretches from south to north all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. It is a spreading, constructive ridge, which creates new ocean floor by magma coming out at many long fissures and also a few volcanoes. So really, it shouldn't be a surprise to have an earthquake there.
There are sometimes earthquakes up in the Nunavut area of Canada, too. So the frozen north is not completely immune.
What do you think is happening up there to have such a big earthquake? (I have my ideas but I'll listen to yours first.)
4 people like this
5 responses
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
9 Nov 18
Fortunately it is not on land and it was strike-slip so would not produce a wave.
1 person likes this
@leny34 (8506)
• Sidoarjo, Indonesia
9 Nov 18
@petatonicsca yes that's right, do you have frequent earthquakes in your place?
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
9 Nov 18
That's an interesting theory I've never heard before.
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
9 Nov 18
@petatonicsca I just made it up, perhaps that's why. 
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
9 Nov 18
You and @pgntwo have opposite interesting ideas. One says because it is getting colder and the other because it is getting warmer. How do you think meteorological temperatures will affect 10 km down in the crust?
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Nov 18
@petatonicsca Actually, global warming and colder winters are intrinsically linked - so my comment about it getting colder and the associated shrinkage that goes along with cooling, still stands...
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
9 Nov 18
It is so frightening when earthquakes occur at such places you could not imagine it could happen. The earth is changing!
