2024 Total Solar Eclipse Cut City Seismic Noise, Debunking Earthquake Myth Ahead of Aug. 12 Event
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Aug 10
2024 Total Solar Eclipse Cut City Seismic Noise, Debunking Earthquake Myth Ahead of Aug. 12 Event
2 articles · Updated · Forbes · Aug 10
Summary
Several hundred North American seismic stations showed a sharp drop in human-made ground vibrations during totality on April 8, 2024, according to research presented by Johns Hopkins seismologist Benjamin Fernando.
The data suggest people briefly stopped driving, building and moving around as the sky darkened; seismic noise rose slightly before totality, then rebounded quickly afterward and even topped the monthly average.
Cities inside the path of totality showed the clearest pattern, while rural areas changed little and places outside the path did not — Fernando cited New York, which had 97% coverage but no comparable shift.
The findings undercut recurring claims that eclipses trigger earthquakes, showing the measurable effect came from paused human activity rather than natural seismic events.
The study arrives before the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse, whose 180-mile-wide path will cross eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, with up to 2 minutes 18 seconds of totality.