Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [geology]

The science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves.

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Can big earthquakes trigger a domino effect?

Can one earthquake trigger another? For instance, the quake in New Zealand, then the one in China and finally the big one in Japan. This does not count aftershocks, but separate earthquakes in reasonably disparate geographical regions.
Gandalf
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Do increasing global temperatures cause earthquakes?

With recent earthquakes, several sources have started claiming that this is a sign of the change we are causing. This paper indicates a historical association (but does not claim causal relationship). In the media this appears to have started with…
Russell Steen
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Do the mountains around this Norwegian valley act like a giant battery?

The Gizmodo website has this article about the UFO-like lights often seen at night in Hessdalen, Norway. The article, titled "Why Mysterious UFO-Like Lights Glow in this Norwegian Valley", says that But that strange bursts of light in the 1980s…
Ronnie
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Is the Yellowstone volcano due to explode?

With NASA plans for stopping a potential cataclysm I found the following statement repeated by several news sources (like BBC): But Yellowstone explodes roughly every 600,000 years, and it is about 600,000 years since it last exploded, which should…
Maciej Piechotka
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Has fracking caused hundreds of earthquakes in Oklahoma?

Rachel Maddow on her show tonight showed a statistic that in 2011 when Pruitt became attorney general of Oklahoma, there were 34 earthquakes stronger than 3.0 on the Richter scale, and that grew to over 600 due to and that was later linked to…
ventsyv
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Did all iron on Earth come from outer space?

According to the video 9 Shocking Facts from the Quran! Iron is not natural to the Earth. It did not form on the Earth but came down to Earth from outer space. This may sound strange but it is true. Scientists have found that billions of years ago…
ThermalRaindrops62
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Does the 'super-moon' have a measurable effect on probability and magnitude of earthquakes?

On the 14th of November 2016, the moon is both full, and is on its closest approach to Earth, causing its largest appearance size until 2033. Citation This large appearance gives it the 'super-moon' name. On the 13th of November 2016, New Zealand…
geoff
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Do living lizards exist inside stones?

I have seen footage and articles that show living lizards walking out of a stone, when the stone is cracked open. Is this a reliable fact? Is it possible that a lizard (or in some cases, a beetle) lives inside a rock for thousands of years when that…
TheTechGuy
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Do solar flares increase the probability of an earthquake?

So, with Japan in the news today, weird theories about earthquakes are at the forefront again. The theory that solar flares are correlated with earthquakes came up, so of course I tried to find some information online. To my surprise there seems…
mootinator
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Did Pangaea exist?

I recently had an argument with a conspiracy theory type who had a bunch of strange ideas about a number of pretty well established scientific phenomenon. One that I had never heard before, nor can I find anything to back up his claim, though I…
zakdegrassi
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Did oil come from Dinosaurs?

Oil (and other carbon based fuels like Coal, but for this question, I'm more interested in Oil) is widely regarded as a "Fossil Fuel" because its origin was ancient flora and fauna, buried deep below the surface for millions of years while being…
Johnny
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Does New Caledonia have a quarter of the world's nickel?

While reading this Guardian article, this claim stood out to me: The territory is home to a quarter of the world’s known nickel, a key component in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries, coins and stainless steel. But according to the Mineral…
Dennis.Verweij
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Is Earth Crust Displacement real?

I've seen the topic of Earth Crust Displacement (a.k.a. Pole Shift Hypothesis) brought up various times in science-fiction stories and at least one movie (2012). The idea is that somehow the crust of the Earth can become unstuck and shift pretty…
Mason Wheeler
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Can Jim Berkland predict earthquakes?

Jim Berkland claims that he can predict earthquakes. Can he or other people predict earthquakes better than chance?
Christian
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Can earthquakes and volcanoes be due or overdue?

Can earthquakes and volcanic eruptions be "due" or "overdue"? As in "They typically happen every X years, we haven't had one for Y years, so we're more likely to have one now"? I heard Kevin McCloud saying something along that line in "Escape to the…
Andrew Grimm
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