Solar flares — bursts of energy from the sun — are known to disturb the earth’s upper atmosphere. They create beautiful auroras but also endanger satellites and power grids.

Now, some scientists think they may also kick up earthquakes.

When a flare is directed towards the earth, it disturbs the ionosphere — a high-altitude layer of the atmosphere filled with charged particles. These disturbances can (and do) influence electrical conditions deep below the earth’s surface, affecting geological faults — cracks in the earth’s crust, where earthquakes are born.

The connection between solar flares and earthquakes is still a hypothesis, founded on computer modelling. The reasoning goes like this: deep within the stressed rock fractures exist hot, pressurised water in a supercritical state (neither liquid nor gas). This water contains charged particles, allowing the cracks to store electrical energy — like a capacitor.

The fractures, or faults, are also the zones where tectonic plates push against each other. Over time, mechanical stress builds up along them until it is released as an earthquake.

If proven, this idea would suggest that “space weather” has a role in seismic activity.

However, other scientists urge caution before nailing it down as the truth. They argue that the model used in the study is highly simplified and that the complex structure of the earth would likely weaken any such effect to the point of being negligible.

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Published on February 23, 2026