The Iberian Peninsula is slowly rotating clockwise, experts say

The Iberian Peninsula is slowly rotating clockwise, scientists revealed in a recent study that sheds light on how the Earth is moving beneath southwestern Europe.

Spain and Portugal have both suffered from large and deadly earthquakes in the past few centuries, and these findings may help researchers better understand the regional stresses that may trigger future quakes in the region.

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Complex interaction between different plates

Major earthquakes are common along fault lines created by tectonic plates rubbing together. The Iberian Peninsula, which is home to both Spain and Portugal, sits at the intersection of the Eurasian and African plates.

Researchers understand the clear-cut boundary between those two plates. But what about the movement of the crust outside of that zone?

A team of European scientists recently tackled that question in a recent study published in Gondwana Research. The experts used historical earthquake data and precise measurements collected by satellite to observe how the land is moving across the Iberian Peninsula.

“The boundary between the plates around the Atlantic Ocean and Algeria is very clear, whereas in the south of the Iberian Peninsula the boundary is much more blurred and complex,” one of the authors said in a press release announcing the study.

Ground movement on and around the Iberian Peninsula involves multiple “crustal blocks,” which are all pushing and pulling on one another amid the greater churn.

The net result of all that movement is the very (...very) slow clockwise rotation of the entire Iberian Peninsula. None of this will happen anytime soon, unfolding on a timescale that will take millions of years.

But the findings are useful to scientists now. A detailed accounting of the stress and strain of the crust beneath the peninsula can help scientists anticipate the potential location and magnitude of future earthquakes.

Header image created using graphics and imagery from Canva and the European Space Agency.

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