Why are earthquakes considered "weather"?

[SoCalDem]

I am very tired of having the "weather-guy" or "weather-chicklet" in the skin tight, plunging necklined sweater" asked to explain how subduction plates operate and the mechanics of earthquakes.

There are TONS of scientists....REAL scientists who would LOVE to explain this stuff...and of course the same goes for the whole nuclear meltdown stuff too


tornadoes are weather
hurricanes are weather
even forest fires have a weather component

earthquakes are not weather..

disclaimer:

weather could factor into a fallout scenario :scared:

[Dappleganger]

1. Earthquakes make tsunamis.

[LynneSin]

25. yes but that is still not weather related

If anything I think this is all more related to climate.

[JVS]

2. If forest fires and flooding are weather, then so are earthquakes.

[JVS]

5. BTW the volcano in Iceland was weather too.

[SoCalDem]

9. the resulting wind currents that delivered the ash was weather

the plate tectonics that caused it was not

[JVS]

14. If weather were limited to phenomenon within the atmosphere, why are astronomical...

measurements like the phase of the moon and time of sunrise and sunset part of the weather? I think you have to acknowledge that weather encompasses events in air, water, sky, and outer space.

[babylonsister]

3. Wow. I never considered that.

Because it's a phenomena that's not man-made? Cue scary music? :scared:

[Abq_Sarah]

4. Because most TV stations

Don't have a full time geologist on staff.

[SoCalDem]

7. That's true, BUT every place large enough to broadcast news

surely is close to a college, and willing scientists.

The quirky jokey weatherguy should not be the one explaining this stuff.. It's not all that common, so I would not expect them to be earthquake experts, but I can't see any real scientists turning down an opportunity to teach about them.

[Abq_Sarah]

10. Put a real scientist on

Discussing plate tectonics and people will change the channel.

[SoCalDem]

12. That would explain the "odd" ideas that many people have about them then

:(

[aquart]

6. Weather is Planet Earth vs. Us. That's why.

Perhaps they told you it was something different?

[tammywammy]

8. My local news has a meteorologists not a "weather guy"

And they've had on multiple professors from local universities on as well. Maybe your news stations just suck. :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

11. Most of the ones I see may have a degree in meteorology, but their schtick

is straight from clown college:(

[JVS]

16. You get bad meteorologists because your part of the country has boring weather.

In places where the weather actually has significant consequence, they hire better people who do a better job.

[SoCalDem]

19. You might have a point there

:rofl:

we get a sprinkle & they get so excited ..like they won lotto..

they fire up the "Mega-Doppler-Jumbo-Stormtracker-7000" and head for the nearest creek :)

[petronius]

22. That is very true. Any doofus can say

"nightandmorninglowcloudsclearingbymiddayhighof75" a couple hundred times a year. :)

[tammywammy]

23. Actually that makes a lot of sense

A few years ago this new meteorologist started down here. It was his first spring. I remember how excited he was "there's another circulation! We have another tornado!" You could totally tell it was his first spring thunderstorm.

[SoCalDem]

15. We usually have CalTech on immediately when we have one

They are the gold standard..but since it;s a weekend, we have infomercials & sports:( and CNN (the reason for my gripe)

[tammywammy]

24. I like our local news station

I watch it in the morning. Yesterday morning they had on a couple of professors from a local university, via phone, to discuss things. I didn't watch this morning.

[FLAprogressive]

13. Usually meteorologists are the only people with a science background TV stations have on staff....

[kestrel91316]

20. TV weather people probably don't even have science backgrounds anymore.

I have come to suspect that they all studied "communications" in college. You know - how to primp for the camera, and where to buy boob jobs and tight sweaters.

[SoCalDem]

21. My husband always watches the CBS channel out here in the AM

"for road conditions"...and for Miss Sparkly Sweaters:)

[BarbaRosa]

17. Because earthquakes are too sicentificlal,

and the weather channel is about as sicentifical as M$M needs to get.

[pokerfan]

18. Better than the sports guy

Besides, the meteorologist is probably the only person on staff who actually studied a science in college.