(Hat tip: Brown & Caldwell California Water News.)
Water levels in a well in Oregon changed in response to the magnitude 9.0 quake last boxing day.
...the earthquake that unleashed the devastating Asian tsunami last month roiled the water for more than five hours in a monitoring well 8,429 miles away in Southern Oregon. The well just north of Grants Pass near the town of Merlin has recorded every quake of magnitude 7.4 or greater throughout the world since 1989 as well as most smaller quakes in California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. It's not unusual for wells of all types to register fluctuations in water levels during quakes, but this well is more sensitive than most, geologists say.
And it's more than just a curiosity, too.
Understanding the changes in the well water may help scientists understand the role of underground fluids in causing earthquakes, Roeloffs says. "What we'd really like to know is: Do natural fluid pressure changes trigger natural earthquakes?" she said.
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