Increase Of Earthquakes And Volcanic Activity Are Caused By Climate Change

The 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake that occurred yesterday afternoon just south of the U.S. Mexico border  is only a sample of what may happen if the San Andreas Fault actually has a major earthquake, and for the southern section of the fault, a 7.2 is a major event, however, keep in mind that it could strike with a magnitude of 8.0 or above, and that would be referred to as a Mega-disaster. (This quake, as of this date, has not been pinned-down to an exact location.) From the USGS:

“A magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred at 3:40:40 p.m. (local time at the epicenter) on Sunday, 4 April 2010 in Baja California, approximately 75 km south of the Mexico-USA border. The earthquake occurred at shallow depth (approximately 10 km) along the boundary zone between the North American and Pacific plates. Since earthquakes have been recorded instrumentally, only two similar sized earthquakes have been recorded in the area. The first was the 1892 earthquake estimated at magnitude 7.0-7.2 along the Laguna Salada fault just south of the USA-Mexico border. The second was the 1940 Imperial Valley magnitude 6.9 earthquake which occurred in southernmost California. Today’s event is located nearly in line with these earthquakes along the plate boundary, but is situated farther to the south. There are several active faults in the vicinity of today’s earthquake, and the particular fault that generated this quake has not yet been determined. Faulting is complex in this region, because the plate boundary is transitional between the ridge-transform system in the Gulf of California and the continental transform system in the Salton Trough. Most of the major active faults are right-lateral strike-slip faults with a northwest-southeast orientation, similar in style to the San Andreas fault to the north. Other faults in the vicinity with the same orientation include the Cerro Prieto fault and the Laguna Salada fault.”  LINK

We are hoping that this earthquake does send a message to people that live in California and other areas that have the potential for large seismic events to keep a stock of essential supplies in case this quake triggers more quakes further north or in other areas of the United States or even in other areas around the world. Earthquakes larger than 7.0 are now known to trigger other quakes nearby or even thousands of miles away. The other issue is that these large earthquakes can also trigger an increase in activity at nearby volcanoes up to at least 500 km away.

An interesting reaction to this quake was how some religious people are using this quake as “proof” that we are entering the “End of Days.” When Yahoo News reported this event HERE, some of the reactions were unbelievable, and when people are in fear of what they don’t understand, it often results in religious zealotry, something that we don’t need more of right now as people are homing in on other events around the world to promote those fears when we are simply entering a period of heightened geological activity. (The volcanic activity in Iceland has increased and another fissure opened-up.) As of this writing at 1:36 AM Eastern Time, the Yahoo News article has generated 4,378 comments. As the poles and glaciers keep melting, we can expect this level of activity to remain higher than normal, and that’s going to keep us busy for a very long time… (Link)

As it pertains to America, there has also been another revelation that was not well known to the majority of the public – and many people I have talked to in the South Eastern United States were unaware that a quake risk even existed; people who had once thought they were safe from earthquakes in the South are now having to accept the reality that geological dangers face us almost everywhere we live:

Also, as in other areas of the United States, too many cities and communities are woefully under-prepared for “Great Quakes” that are inevitable tomorrow or a hundred years from now,   and in this period of increased geologic activity, everyone that lives where these gigantic seismic events have been predicted or have the potential to occur  should take note and be prepared! The attitude of “it can’t happen to us” is quickly disappearing, and those whom live in the North Western United States should read this recent information about the Cascadia subduction Zone as well as those who live in the Central USA and could suffer the devastation if the New Madrid Seismic Zone experiences another major seismic event. Finally, when you factor in Yellowstone National Park’s Super Volcano, it is obvious that disaster preparedness is essential to everyone, not just those who live on our West Coast.

We do not post this information with the purpose of frightening people, but instead, hope that knowledge and facts will help families prepare themselves for any eventuality; it is quickly becoming evident that seismic activity is rising, and engaging in disaster preparedness could easily ward off the ravages of hunger and thirst that families whom are unprepared could experience. “Great Quakes” cause far too much death and destruction immediately during and after the event; it’s the unnecessary hunger, misery and disease we witness across the globe that we are warning of – and a large portion of the secondary danger to your family is preventable.

William Cormier