[olivermarks]

Why is 'sunspot activity driving changes in the Earth's dynamo that then kick off earthquakes' a loopy idea?

We are hours away from coronal mass ejection catastrophe right now as solar cycle 20 builds in intensity. It seems reasonable to me that the complex relationship between the moon's gravitational pull and massive sun activity could affect our tiny little planet

[idlewords]

The idea is loopy because the energy that reaches the earth from even a massive solar flare is orders of magnitude less than the energy released by a major earthquake, and that is orders of magnitudes less than the energies that drive the dynamo in the Earth's core.

It's possible for a falling leaf to hit a mountain in just such a way that it dislodges a boulder balanced on top, but you need to tell a pretty compelling story about why this sensitive arrangement came about. Similarly, you'd need to explain how gigatons of molten iron sloshing around deep underground might feel the kiss of the Sun in just such a way that it levels San Francisco (for example).

[AnotherGoodName]

In fact i hypothesise they've inverted cause and effect.

Tectonic movements absolutely have the energy to move the earths magnetic field and the magnetic field blocks cosmic radiation. Something that moves the magnetic field would allow more cosmic radiation

There's only a handful of detectors outside of earths magnetic field. Orbiting satellites are even within its field of influence. Comparing this data to the measure of cosmic radiation from a deep space probe would be interesting to rule out that it's the earth movement increasing detected radiation and not the reverse

They may have simply discovered that tectonic movement changes how much cosmic radiation reaches our detectors.

[mrb]

Tectonic plates are nearly permanently in a "sensitive arrangement", as you say. Compressive, shear, and tensional stress is the normal. Plates accumulate more and more stress over time, until a small trigger causes the plates to slip and release all that energy at once (earthquake).

In other words, tectonic plates are nearly permanently in a state similar to a boulder delicately balanced on top of a mountain.

[jcims]

A 4oz pull that moves a trigger a small faction of an inch can release a thousand foot pounds of energy.

[IG_Semmelweiss]

I think you can relate this to the dynamics of a Prince Rupert's drop.

[CodeWriter23]

Consider how an atomic bomb requires relatively little energy input compared to what is released. Combined with how very little practical observation we have of what's really going on in the Earth's core. It is certainly possible some phenomena is in play with Earthquakes.

[jjtheblunt]

when people say "orders of magnitude" do they always mean base 10?

(i'm thinking of how decibels are a log scale sort of thing wrt power, where "orders of magnitude" used as a cliche probably does not mean what it would be read as.)

[wholinator2]

What do you mean by, "we are hours away from coronal mass ejection catastrophe right now as solar cycle 20 builds in intensity"?

Because i can't read that as anything other than, we are in solar cycle 20, and it's currently building such that i predict with hours of right now, there will be a coronal mass ejection that will knock out the global power grid. But I've googled and we appear to currently be in solar cycle 25 with solar cycle 20 occurring in the 60s and 70s. Do you mean that a coronal mass ejection event takes hours to get to earth? Then why the "right now"? Does the delay of such events change on a sufficiently short time scale to warrant "right now"?

Nobody else seems confused so maybe I'm an idiot

[flangola7]

Catastrophe as in many possible earthquakes, if the hypothesis is correct?

[olivermarks]

>Catastrophe as in many possible earthquakes, if the hypothesis is correct?

No, wiping out the entire electrical grid and all electronics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event