Plate Tectonics Has a Surprise Silver Lining - Without this restless geologic process, which triggers destructive earthquakes, Earth would not be habitable, by Robin George Andrews May 29, 2024
"...on geologic timescales, plate tectonics ensures that Earth won’t grow so catastrophically hot that its surface becomes unlivable. Without plate tectonics, Earth would turn into Venus. And no planet aspires to be more like Venus.
...And, had it not been for—among other things—our world’s endlessly shifting tectonic plates, Earth could have shared the same grim fate as Venus.
Yes, those tectonic plates buckle and stretch, slip and slide, creating faults that jolt and snap, which generate earthquakes—sometimes devastatingly so. But these tremors are the vital sign of a planet with a beating geologic heart, an orb with a transmogrifying face..."
[I immediately thought of Calvin and Hobbes here, lol.]
I've told the story of how I got into #EmergencyPrep... Local govt held a community meeting about preparing for a 9.0+ #subduction zone #earthquake hitting the #PNW. Power co, water co, etc all gave useful advice.
Map of #philippines M7.6 #earthquake sequence (in purple) with mechanisms for largest aftershocks. The M6.9 was another #subduction interface event, but the M6.6 was not. #Aftershocks are located all the way to (and possibly past) the trench.