Topline
Could the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 in Greenland, Iceland and Spain — one of the skywatching highlights of summer, and of 2026 — cause an earthquake? That the precise alignment of sun, moon and Earth can cause earthquakes is a persistent myth, but research during the “Great American Eclipse” on April 8, 2024, did find that the celestial event had a notable seismic effect — but it’s not what you think.
Key Facts
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse will be seen from a 180-mile-wide path of totality across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, where the moon’s dark central shadow will touch Earth.
Only from this path of totality, day will briefly turn to twilight and, in a clear sky, the sun’s corona will become visible around the moon for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.
Totality will last longest just off the west coast of Iceland, one of the most seismically active places on Earth. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) registers between 20,000 and 26,000 earthquakes each year.
However, research presented in April at the 2026 Seismological Society of America Annual Meeting reveals that ground vibrations generated by everyday human activity dropped significantly during the last total solar eclipse.
The findings provide fresh insight into how closely human behavior influences the Earth’s subtle seismic signals, while also helping to dispel the long-standing myth that eclipses can trigger earthquakes.
Scientists Detect ‘Seismic Silence’
The research was led by Benjamin Fernando, a seismologist and planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. While witnessing the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, in Ohio, Fernando noticed an unexpected calm as totality arrived. “I noticed that all of a sudden everything went really quiet,” he said. “So I was curious as to whether that was going to be replicated in the seismic data.” To find out, Fernando analyzed seismic recordings collected throughout April 2024 from several hundred monitoring stations across North America. The results showed a clear and repeatable trend in cities located directly within the eclipse’s path of totality.
Everyday Seismic Noise
Although earthquakes are the most familiar source of seismic activity, scientists regularly detect vibrations caused by people. Traffic, construction projects, mining operations, industrial work, concerts and sporting events all generate small but measurable ground movements known as anthropogenic seismic noise. According to the study, seismic activity rose slightly before totality as people gathered to watch the eclipse. However, during totality, those vibrations dropped sharply as normal activity briefly paused. Following totality, seismic noise quickly returned — and even climbed above the monthly average — as people resumed traveling and daily routines.
Effect Was Limited To Cities
One of the study’s most striking discoveries was that the phenomenon only occurred in urban areas that experienced complete totality. Rural locations showed little change, while cities outside the path — even those that experienced a very deep partial solar eclipse — did not display the same seismic pattern. “For example, in New York it was 97% totality, but nothing changed,” said Fernando. The findings suggest that totality encouraged people to simultaneously pause.
Research Debunks Earthquake Eclipse Myth
The study reinforces previous scientific evidence that solar eclipses do not trigger earthquakes. While social media speculation often resurfaces during major celestial events, researchers found no evidence linking the eclipse to natural seismic activity. “Folks for whatever reason sometimes push the narrative that eclipses cause earthquakes,” said Fernando. “That’s definitely not the case, and this is another demonstration of that.”
Background
Aug. 12 will see the first total solar eclipse visible from Iceland since 1954 and from Spain since 1905. Mainland Europe has not had a total solar eclipse since 1999. Much of Europe, northwestern Africa, Canada, and parts of the northern U.S. will see a partial solar eclipse.
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, perfectly covering the sun’s bright disk. That alignment is only possible because the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon—but also about 400 times farther away, making them appear the same size in the sky.
Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth roughly every 16 months, but at any one place they are exceedingly rare, often returning only once every few centuries.