Quake Spike: Scientists Say Get Ready for a Lot More Earthquakes Next Year

The world could experience a sharp increase in the number of major earthquakes next year.

Scientists from the University of Colorado and the University of Montana found the number of severe quakes rises when the earth's rotation slows by just a millisecond a day.

Science Magazine reports they believe these minor changes in the speed of the earth's rotation could be tied to the release of large amounts of underground energy.

One of the scientists says we could see 20 earthquakes a year starting next year.

Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado at Boulder presented his findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

He says quakes have increased by 25-30 percent on five occasions over the past century whenever the Earth's rotational velocity slowed down.

"The world has now entered a period of enhanced global seismic productivity with a duration of at least five years," Bilham predicts.

The past few months have already brought some devastating earthquakes in places like Mexico and Iran.