I don't have time to look into it now, but it'd be interesting to see how much, if any, loss there has been to glaciers in New Zealand prior to these quakes. Subby may be on to something.

You'd think with all the available sheep's bladders, New Zealand earthquakes would be non-existent.

macadamnut: Fly, you fools!



I, Hatchet Jack, being of sound mind and broke legs, do leaveth my bow to the next thing who finds it, Lord hope he be an elf. It is a good bow, and kilt the orc that kilt me. Anyway, I am dead. Yours Truly, Hatchet Jack.

habitualbastard: 30 million tons?? that reminds me subby hows your mom?

She's warming up.

MrBonestripper: Wait a sec...I thought boobs caused earthquakes.

That's what teh Muzzlemz said.

My muzzlemz only says "tchBANG!":



Still, it has an eloquence all its own. Woe betide anyone on the wrong side of a debate with her.

Tricky Chicken: lhclubs: How many Rhode Islands is that glacier?

I have a tough time understanding how big something is unless it's described in Rhode Islands.

Silly Rabbit, Rhode Islands are a measurement of area, not weight! Next thing you'll probably start measuring time in something as unrelated as parsecs!

Ohh, now that's a whole industrial size can of worms that just got opened. This ought to be good.

cretinbob: I don't have time to look into it now, but it'd be interesting to see how much, if any, loss there has been to glaciers in New Zealand prior to these quakes. Subby may be on to something.

I saw one article that said it was the third largest calving of the glacier in 40 years, so there's been at least two 30 million tonne plus loses. Losing that much ice at once could speed the flow of a glacier or accelerate its demise if it is retreating already.

I Googled "Tasman Glacier retreat" and Google added "extreme". Not a good sign.

The Glacier is on its way out according to a 2008 article:

See the lake in the photos? It wasn't there in 1973.

"In 1973 there was no lake in front of the Tasman Glacier, says Dr Martin Brook, lecturer in physical geography in the School of People, Environment and Planning. New measurements taken last week indicate the lake, formed by ice melt from the glacier, is now 7km long, 2km wide and 245m deep. The lake has been formed as the ice which makes up the glacier melts."

So there you have it. Global warming is causing earthquakes and earthquakes are causing global warming.

No, seriously. A lot of small earthquakes occur as land depressed by glaciers or ice caps rebounds. 60,000,000,000 pounds is a small amount of ice compared to what is vanishing around the world, so a lot of small tremors can be expected in zones where large glaciers or ice caps are melting--i.e, Greenland, bits of the Andes, Switzerland, etc.

On the other hand, the loss of big chunks of ice can set a glacier back many yards, which only speeds up the melting in many cases (but not all--the exposed front of the glacier can become a bit more stable at its new location).

This is one of several ice and snow-related feedback loops feared by scientists. Sea level rise, change in albedo, warming of ocean uncoverd by ice floe retreat, melting permafrost, etc., are others. Ice and snow are, like other forms of water, extremely volatile--they can build up and retreat in relatively short periods of time. They are also poorly understood. That's why earlier models used by the IPCC to calculate the likelihood of various degrees of global warming and sea level rise DID NOT INCLUDE THE EFFECTS OF ICE MELTING.

Some of the newer models include a better understanding of ice. The news is not good. Everything seems to be happening faster than expected and the effects are generally not promising.

That made a big icehole

brantgoose: No, seriously. A lot of small earthquakes occur as land depressed by glaciers or ice caps rebounds.

My point exactly.