[Rockhounds] Earthquakes can 'spark eruptions'

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Very large earthquakes can trigger an increase in activity at nearby 
volcanoes according to a new study.

The controversial findings come from an analysis of records in southern 
Chile.

It showed that up to four times as many volcanic eruptions occurred 
during the year following very large earthquakes than did so in other 
years.

The work, by a team at the University of Oxford, appears in the journal 
Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

The researchers say volcanoes lying up to at least 500km away from an 
earthquake's epicentre were affected.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7771890.stm