Fluids are known to be of major importance for the earthquake generation because pore pressure variations alter the strength of faults.
Thus they can initiate earthquakes if the crust is close enough to its critical state. Based on the observations of the isolated seismicity below the densely monitored Mt. Hochstaufen, SE Germany, we are now able to demonstrate that the crust can be so close-to-failure that even tiny pressure variations associated with precipitation can trigger earthquakes in a few kilometer depth. Source
Was the 2010 Haiti Earthquake triggered by deforestation and the 2008 hurricanes?
