In a piece from CNN.com, Cornell University Professor Rowena Lohman discusses some of the dynamics behind yesterdays 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia. With respect to climate, Dr. Lohman cites "...the melting of large ice sheets and glaciers that used to cover North America during the last ice age 14,000 years ago. When the ice sheet was on top of the North America, it pressed down on the Earth's crust, causing it to sink lower. Since the ice melted and the weight was removed, the crust has been slowly rebounding back to its normal position, and that motion causes earthquakes."
This phenomenon is known as Post Glacial ( or Isostatic) Rebound and is also discussed in this National Geographic piece from 2008.
