<p>Check this out.It seems obvious that gravitational forces could affect plate movement. This definitely needs more study. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349804886_Solar_system_planetary_alignment_triggers_tides_and_earthquakes#:%7E:text=Planets%20interact%20with%20each%20other,revolving%20speed%20of%20the%20Earth" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349804886_Solar_system_planetary_alignment_triggers_tides_and_earthquakes#:~:text=Planets%20interact%20with%20each%20other,revolving%20speed%20of%20the%20Earth</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-09T20:42:45.707Z
The author is the same guy that Frank Hoogerbeets frequently cites him. It is left as an exercise for the reader to investigate the [seemingly predatory] journal. So **NO**, this already stinks and doesn't need anymore digging.
polfosol ఠ_ఠ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-10T08:29:57.477Z
yeah, sorry, the writing/grammar is poor just in the abstract, this certainly doesn't look to be strongly peer reviewed evidence.  Nothing in the abstract conveys convincing proof... perhaps(?) the article has something, but without it being available publicly, this isn't a useful answer.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-09T14:22:21.700Z
2024-04-09T14:22:21.700Z
metahead
<p>It's easy to make prediction of earthquakes in Turkey/Türkiye, it's in one of the most <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Turkey" rel="noreferrer">active seismic zones</a> on the planet.</p>
<p>The February 2023 earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8, with aftershocks of magnitude 7.5.</p>
<p>In 2020 there was a magnitude 7 quake, 6.9 in 2014, 7.2 in 2011, 7.2 and 7.6 in 1999, 7.5 in 1976, 7 in 1964, two 7.1 quakes in 1957, 7.2 in 1953, 7.5 in 1944 and another 7.8 quake in 1939.</p>
<p>Turkey/Türkiye is no stranger to earthquakes. They are a continual, if not unwelcome, companion.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/can-position-moon-or-planets-affect-seismicity-are-there-more-earthquakes-morningin-eveningat" rel="noreferrer">alignment of planets</a> has effective <a href="https://earthsky.org/space/planetary-alignment-increase-in-volcanoes-july-2020/" rel="noreferrer">nothing to do with earthquakes</a>. Any effect is very small.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The moon, sun, and other planets have an influence on the earth in the form of perturbations (small changes) to the gravitational field. The relative amount of influence is proportional to the objects mass, and inversely proportional to the third power of its distance from the earth.</p>
<p>There have been several planet-alignment scares. “The Jupiter Effect” (1974), by John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann, predicted that a line-up on March 10, 1982, would cause catastrophes including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That did not happen.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-04-10T08:14:21.207Z
The first link (USGS) actually seems to offer some interesting input on the linking of earthquakes to tides which isn't quite as dismissive seeming as your answer?  Though it limits the results to specific types of earthquakes at least.  And most importantly, though they don't spell it out completely in the final two paragraphs, the gravitational field gradient from other planets on Earth is much much smaller than that of the moon, so it would seem in the end to nudge towards discounting planetary alignment.  But just thought it better to go into detail rather than just a simple no!
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-08T02:11:50.680Z
2023-02-08T02:11:50.680Z
Fred
<p>There is a widely circulated <a href="https://twitter.com/hogrbe/status/1621479563720118273" rel="nofollow noreferrer">tweet by Frank Hoogerbeets</a> where it seems he has predicted <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/05/europe/earthquake-hits-turkey-intl-hnk/index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Turkey's earthquake</a> a few days before. The tweet says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Sooner or later there will be a ~M 7.5 #earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon). #deprem
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2WrGU.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2WrGU.jpg" alt="the map" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>I have searched a bit about the origin of this so-called prediction. They have a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ssgeos" rel="nofollow noreferrer">youtube channel</a> since a few month ago, which is regularly updated by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZL-pJh3QaU" rel="nofollow noreferrer">videos like this</a> in which he analyzes the planetary alignments and claims that it has something to do with Earth's seismic activities. I haven't seen such claim anywhere before and wanted to check whether it has been scientifically approved, or does it have any merit whatsoever?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T18:06:04.997Z
"Sooner or later" is not a very precise prediction.
JohnHoltz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-06T18:35:45.323Z
And the question is of course, something else!
polfosol ఠ_ఠ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-08T09:53:42.273Z
this is related https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/24740/does-the-moon-affect-earthquakes
trond hansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-02-11T11:13:43.630Z
I don't think this was due to planetary alignment but due to tectonic setting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Turkey#Tectonic_setting
Nilay Ghosh
<earthquakes><seismology>
Do planetary alignments affect Earth's seismic activity?
polfosol ఠ_ఠ
# Do planetary alignments affect Earth's seismic activity?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-02-06)

There is a widely circulated [tweet by Frank Hoogerbeets](https://twitter.com/hogrbe/status/1621479563720118273) where it seems he has predicted [Turkey's earthquake](https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/05/europe/earthquake-hits-turkey-intl-hnk/index.html) a few days before. The tweet says:

> Sooner or later there will be a ~M 7.5 #earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon). #deprem
> [![the map](https://i.sstatic.net/2WrGU.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/2WrGU.jpg)

I have searched a bit about the origin of this so-called prediction. They have a [youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@ssgeos) since a few month ago, which is regularly updated by [videos like this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZL-pJh3QaU) in which he analyzes the planetary alignments and claims that it has something to do with Earth's seismic activities. I haven't seen such claim anywhere before and wanted to check whether it has been scientifically approved, or does it have any merit whatsoever?

**Tags:** earthquakes, seismology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "Sooner or later" is not a very precise prediction.  
> **username_0**: And the question is of course, something else!  
> **username_2**: this is related https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/24740/does-the-moon-affect-earthquakes  
> **username_3**: I don't think this was due to planetary alignment but due to tectonic setting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Turkey#Tectonic_setting  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2023-02-08. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

It's easy to make prediction of earthquakes in Turkey/Türkiye, it's in one of the most [active seismic zones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Turkey) on the planet.

The February 2023 earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8, with aftershocks of magnitude 7.5.

In 2020 there was a magnitude 7 quake, 6.9 in 2014, 7.2 in 2011, 7.2 and 7.6 in 1999, 7.5 in 1976, 7 in 1964, two 7.1 quakes in 1957, 7.2 in 1953, 7.5 in 1944 and another 7.8 quake in 1939.

Turkey/Türkiye is no stranger to earthquakes. They are a continual, if not unwelcome, companion.

The [alignment of planets](https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/can-position-moon-or-planets-affect-seismicity-are-there-more-earthquakes-morningin-eveningat) has effective [nothing to do with earthquakes](https://earthsky.org/space/planetary-alignment-increase-in-volcanoes-july-2020/). Any effect is very small.

> The moon, sun, and other planets have an influence on the earth in the form of perturbations (small changes) to the gravitational field. The relative amount of influence is proportional to the objects mass, and inversely proportional to the third power of its distance from the earth.
>
> There have been several planet-alignment scares. “The Jupiter Effect” (1974), by John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann, predicted that a line-up on March 10, 1982, would cause catastrophes including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.

That did not happen.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: The first link (USGS) actually seems to offer some interesting input on the linking of earthquakes to tides which isn't quite as dismissive seeming as your answer?  Though it limits the results to specific types of earthquakes at least.  And most importantly, though they don't spell it out completely in the final two paragraphs, the gravitational field gradient from other planets on Earth is much much smaller than that of the moon, so it would seem in the end to nudge towards discounting planetary alignment.  But just thought it better to go into detail rather than just a simple no!  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2024-04-09. Score: -1

Check this out.It seems obvious that gravitational forces could affect plate movement. This definitely needs more study. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349804886\_Solar\_system\_planetary\_alignment\_triggers\_tides\_and\_earthquakes#:~:text=Planets%20interact%20with%20each%20other,revolving%20speed%20of%20the%20Earth](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349804886_Solar_system_planetary_alignment_triggers_tides_and_earthquakes#:%7E:text=Planets%20interact%20with%20each%20other,revolving%20speed%20of%20the%20Earth).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: The author is the same guy that Frank Hoogerbeets frequently cites him. It is left as an exercise for the reader to investigate the [seemingly predatory] journal. So **NO**, this already stinks and doesn't need anymore digging.  
> **username_5**: yeah, sorry, the writing/grammar is poor just in the abstract, this certainly doesn't look to be strongly peer reviewed evidence.  Nothing in the abstract conveys convincing proof... perhaps(?) the article has something, but without it being available publicly, this isn't a useful answer.  

---

