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North Korean nuclear test sets off years of earthquakes

225 points · 181 comments · rbanffy

  1. margalabargala · · focus · HN ↗
    Could this be considered a good thing?

    The energy being released in these many tiny earthquakes was always going to exist in this location. Much better to release it slowly via thousands of tiny earthquakes than all at once. Better to have 10k magnitude 3 quakes than one magnitude 7.

    1. andy_ppp · · focus · HN ↗
      It can go either way, you might get a relief of pressure or you might get an increased destabilisation in the region.
      1. skeptic_ai · · focus · HN ↗
        There isA study about fire fighting. If you shit down every fire quickly then eventually you’ll have a major black swan. If you let fires burn a bit more then you’ll avoid black swan effect that burns down everything
        1. dataflow · · focus · HN ↗
          Have you considered logarithms?
        2. ImJamal · · focus · HN ↗
          Are fires and earthquakes the same?
          1. RugnirViking · · focus · HN ↗
            it would appear nobody here knows. We probably ought to shut up until a seismologist decides to chime in
            1. monster_truck · · focus · HN ↗
              What would a size scientist know about fires or earthquakes anyways
              1. InsideOutSanta · · focus · HN ↗
                They'd know how big they are, obviously.
        3. cindyllm · · focus · HN ↗

          [dead]

        4. taneq · · focus · HN ↗
          I’m not sure if “let fires burn a bit more” is exactly what we’re after but hazard reduction burns are absolutely a thing and are an essential part of fire risk management. I don’t think your post deserved to get slammed like that.

          The region can build up resistance to big fires by having small fires.

          1. skeptic_ai · · focus · HN ↗
            Yeah that’s what I’m talking about
        5. wyan · · focus · HN ↗
          By definition, a black swan event cannot be predicted. It doesn't just mean "a larger fire" or "the event of a lifetime".
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