The article says that (as far as they can tell) the liquid pressure helps reduce the plate friction, so leaking actually contributes to stress build up: > Flui

The article says that (as far as they can tell) the liquid pressure helps reduce the plate friction, so leaking actually contributes to stress build up: > Fluid released from the fault zone is like leaking lubricant, Solomon said. That’s bad news for earthquake hazards: Less lubricant means stress can build to create a damaging quake.