Over just a few months, a series of earthquakes around the world has drawn attention because of their close timing and widely scattered locations from Venezuela and the Philippines to Egypt, Mexico, and Colombia, and most recently Indonesia, where hundreds of aftershocks followed the main earthquake.
The succession of these events, combined with the speed at which images and news of them reach audiences worldwide, may make it seem as though the Earth is shaking more frequently than usual.
But do these events actually point to a change in global seismic activity?
Are Earthquakes Really Increasing or Does It Just Seem That Way?
Temporary increases in seismic activity are part of the natural fluctuations in earthquake rates.
The National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) records around 20,000 earthquakes worldwide each year, most of them too weak to be felt by people. However, the growing number of seismic monitoring stations, advances in communications, and increased public attention to natural disasters mean that people today learn about earthquakes much faster than they did in the past.
As for major earthquakes capable of causing humanitarian disasters, long-term seismic records used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicate that an average of around 16 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater can be expected each year.
What Happened in 2026?
As of August 20, data from Volcano Discovery showed that only 11 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater had been recorded, suggesting that the pace of major earthquakes in 2026 remained within the range of natural fluctuations in seismic activity.
At the same time, an analysis of long-term seismic records shows that the annual number of major earthquakes has exceeded the long-term average around 12 times over the past 50 years. The highest figure was recorded in 2010, with 23 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater.
This raises questions about whether there could be a relationship between climate-related changes and earthquake activity.
Earthquakes, Climate Change, and Human Activity: What Is the Connection?
Major earthquakes occur primarily because of tectonic plate movements and the accumulation of stress along faults. However, scientists have identified some localized links between changes in climate conditions and seismic activity.
For example, the melting of snow and glaciers reduces the pressure exerted on the Earth’s crust, while meltwater that infiltrates deeper into the ground can alter fluid pressure within rocks and faults.
A European study published in 2025 found a link between ice melt and increased seasonal seismic activity around Mont Blanc in the Alps, between France and Italy. Researchers found that meltwater entering the subsurface altered pore pressure and triggered small earthquakes along pre-existing faults.
Human activity, meanwhile, has a clearer connection to certain forms of seismic activity through what are known as induced earthquakes earthquakes caused or triggered by human activities rather than by the natural movement of tectonic plates alone.
These events can occur when activities such as injecting fluids underground, filling large reservoirs, or mining alter pressure on existing faults. Such changes can trigger fault movement and generate earthquakes, according to the USGS.
In the central United States, the average number of earthquakes of magnitude 3 or greater increased from 24 earthquakes per year between 1973 and 2008 to 193 per year between 2009 and 2014.
In several areas, this increase was linked to the injection of wastewater generated by oil and gas extraction. However, most of these earthquakes remain small to moderate and are not responsible for major tectonic earthquakes.
The Overlap Between Geological and Climate Risks
The risk does not necessarily end when the ground stops shaking.
Earthquakes can trigger landslides, soil liquefaction, and tsunamis, followed by a chain of secondary hazards. They can also leave slopes and sediment deposits more vulnerable to subsequent climate-related events.
In this way, geological and climate risks can overlap in a single chain of events. Heavy rainfall, for example, can remobilize unstable sediments and trigger debris flows or flooding.
In coastal areas, sea-level rise and the growing exposure of populations and infrastructure to coastal hazards can increase the potential losses associated with earthquakes and tsunamis.
Climate change may not necessarily make the Earth more prone to seismic activity. But it can alter the environment in which disasters occur and intensify some of the hazards that follow them, making multi-hazard risk management increasingly important.
Ultimately, cities cannot prepare only for the first earthquake.
Urban planning, resilient infrastructure, hazard maps, early-warning and emergency-response systems, and preparedness for cascading hazards are all essential to reducing the chances that a natural earthquake will develop into a widespread disaster.
