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Science 16 November 1979:
Vol. 206. no. 4420, pp. 826 - 829
DOI: 10.1126/science.206.4420.826
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Articles

Can Rapid Climatic Change Cause Volcanic Eruptions?

MICHAEL R. RAMPINO 1, STEPHEN SELF 2, and RHODES W. FAIRBRIDGE 3

1 NASA, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York 10025
2 Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
3 Department of Geological Sciences, Columbia University, New York 10027

Many major volcanic eruptions coincide with cooling trends of decadal or longer duration that began significantly before the eruptions. Dust veils provide positive feedback for short-term (less than 10 year) global cooling, but seem unlikely to trigger glaciations or even minor climate fluctuations in the 10-to 100-year range. On the contrary, variations in climate lead to stress changes on the earth's crust—for instance, by loading and unloading of ice and water masses and by axial and spin-rate changes that might augment volcanic (and seismic) potential.

Submitted on June 11, 1979


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