FACT FOCUS: Conspiracy theories falsely blame Colombia earthquake on Alaska research program

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An enduring conspiracy theory has resurfaced on social media after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Colombia on Monday, with users blaming a research program in Alaska for the disaster.Posts falsely claim that the Aug.13 earthquake, which has killed at least 270 people and left widespread damage, was caused by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, which studies the properties and behavior of the upper atmosphere.But the earthquake was caused by natural movements in the Earth’s crust.

Experts say it had nothing to do with human activities.Here’s a closer look at the facts.CLAIM: HAARP caused the 7.4 magnitude earthquake in western Colombia on Monday.THE FACTS: This is false.The U.S.

Geological Survey says that the Colombia earthquake was caused primarily by “strike-slip faulting” — when two sections of Earth’s crust move horizontally past each other.The epicenter of the earthquake is within the country’s Pacific region, which lies along the “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.“No human endeavor caused this earthquake,” said Suzan Van der Lee, a seismologist and professor at Northwestern University.

“The Colombia earthquake occurred in a region with many natural earthquakes.”She said there are cases where human activity in shallow parts of the Earth’s crust such as gas extraction or waste water injection has caused small- to moderate-magnitude earthquakes.But the earthquake in Colombia occurred at a depth of 110 kilometers — at least 10 times deeper than any caused by humans, Van der Lee noted.The University of Alaska Fairbanks has operated HAARP since 2015.

It was previously run by the U.S.military, which still owns the land where the program is located.HAARP has been the subject of conspiracy theories since the military started building it...