Full moons may cause bigger earthquakes, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Tokyo say large quakes are more likely during high tides, which happen twice a day. During high tides, the oceans are pulled by the moon’s gravity, but during a full and new moon, twice a month, the tides are particularly high, especially when the moon, sun and Earth line up. This, researchers say, can further stress geological faults, triggering earthquakes. “The probability of a tiny rock failure expanding to a gigantic rupture increases with increasing tidal stress levels,” the researchers wrote on an article that appeared in the British journal Nature Geoscience. While the theory is not new, ...
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