Science Tries to Explain Increased Earthquake Activity

[Mimi]

"Clustering" of earthquakes remains issue of debate
English.news.cn   2010-03-10 07:24:23    FeedbackPrintRSS

by Xinhua writer Mao Lei

A man walks past debris in front of a destroyed house in the village of Okcular. A powerful pre-dawn earthquake buried sleeping villagers in remote eastern Turkey, claiming at least 51 lives and leaving dozens injured, officials said. (Xinhua/AFP, File Photo)

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A string of earthquakes hitting Haiti, Chile and as recently as Turkey this year have fueled the speculation that the "clustering" of temblors may signal the Earth is entering a new period of earthquake cycle, but whether the theory stands is still an issue of debate within the science community.

SIGNS OF INCREASED EARTH ACTIVITY

Stephen S. Gao, a geophysics professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology in the United States, is one of the scientists who argued that the Earth has been witnessing increased activity.

"It is clear that the Earth is significantly more active over the past 15 years than the 20 years before," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Gao's statement is based on the study of the so-called "moment release," a measure of the product of the area ruptured by an earthquake and the displacement between the two sides of the fault.

His calculation shows that the moment release per year between 1995 and 2010 is about four times as large as that between 1975 and 1994. Even when the 2004 Sumatra earthquake in Indonesia and its large aftershocks and this year's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile are not counted, the moment release over the past 15 years is still twice as large as that of the previous two decades.

Gao believed that the increased activity could simply be natural fluctuations of the stress field in the Earth's lithosphere, or the outer solid part.

"We do not have a long-enough record of instrumentally determined earthquakes to determine if this is true or not for a longer period," noted the geophysicist.

"Although we are still trying to come up with some explanations for the higher activity over the past 15 years, I do not think global warming or human activities have much to do with it," he added.

We are happy to say the Bible has an explanation for it:

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Luk 21:7  And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luk 21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luk 21:9  But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10  Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Mar 13:5  And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
Mar 13:6  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mar 13:7  And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
Mar 13:8  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
Mar 13:9  But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
Mar 13:10  And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

[Richard Myers]

Interesting. I just read yesterday in a newspaper that there are not more earthquakes. Seems that someone is intent on calming fears that the end is near. They do not want any attention drawn to what the Bible has to say about earthquakes or anything else it may mention, like pestilence, wars, famine, or God.

But, the wise will understand, no matter how many "experts" say otherwise. The earthquakes will continue  to increase in number and intensity, and will be in places where none are expected. At the same time we will see many more natural disasters such as hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, floods, and hail storms. Many will try and say this is man made global warming.   The cause is indeed man made, but not global warming. The cause is sin. The earth is waxing old and the people are growing bold in their evil ways. The Bible says that just before the coming of Jesus, the world will be as it was just prior to the great flood. Yes, the immorality is running rampant. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. It is time to prepare for the soon return of Jesus!

Honest scientists will see and report the truth. Others who hate God and the Bible will make false reports in an attempt to calm the fears of the people as disaster after disaster make it plain that God has removed His hand of protection. It would be negligent to not mention that in the midst of these disasters there will be call to return to God and to honor the Sunday. Having no Biblical basis for doing so, the "religious ones" will turn to the state to enforce Sunday sacredness. Then, the United States will have rejected Bible truth and its Protestant heritage. It will trample on the religious freedom of those who keep the commandment of God and the faith of Jesus. It and the world will persecute those who keep the true Sabbath holy.

Yes, there is a battle for truth. The real battle is not against the outwardly immoral ones, but those who profess godliness. They are the ones who will gain control of the political system and secure legislation forcing Sunday rest. That day is fast approaching.

[Mimi]

Worsening earthquake problem is not below ground, but above

By SETH BORENSTEIN The Associated Press
Sat. Mar 13 - 4:54 AM

[An aerial view of a collapsed church in Leogane, Haiti, following the Jan. 25 earthquake. (Tim Krochak / Staff)]

An aerial view of a collapsed church in Leogane, Haiti, following the Jan. 25 earthquake. (Tim Krochak / Staff)

   

WASHINGTON — First the ground shook in Haiti, then Chile and now Turkey. The earthquakes keep coming hard and fast this year, causing people to wonder if something sinister is happening underfoot.

It’s not.

While it may seem as if there are more earthquakes occurring, there really aren’t. The problem is what’s happening above ground, not underground, experts say.

More people are moving into megacities that happen to be built on fault lines, and they’re rapidly putting up substandard buildings that can’t withstand earthquakes, scientists say.

And around-the-clock news coverage and better seismic monitoring make it seem as if earthquakes are ever-present.

"I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end," said Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics at Durham University in northern England, referring to the number of quakes.   Source and more fables


Mr. Holdsworth, expert in tectonics, I can definitely tell you, "It is coming to an end!"