Landslide hazard cascades can trigger earthquakes

While earthquakes are known to trigger surface hazards, the reverse—whether surface hazards can trigger earthquakes—is less explored. This study investigates the 2018 Baige landslide hazard cascades on the Tibetan Plateau, which created landslide-dammed lakes (LDLs). Using machine-learning and cross-correlation methods, a statistically significant increase in earthquake activity (local magnitude ≤ 2.6) was found as the LDL approached peak water level, returning to background levels after dam breach. About 90% of the seismicity occurred where Coulomb stress increased due to direct loading and pore pressure diffusion. Modeling suggests that earthquake triggering by LDLs may be a ubiquitous phenomenon, highlighting the bidirectional interaction between earthquakes and surface hazards.

Zhen Zhang, Min Liu, Yen Joe Tan, Fabian Walter, Siming He, Małgorzata Chmiel, Jinrong Su