Does it seem to you like there has been an unusual amount of seismic activity around the world lately? Well, it isn’t just your imagination. The Ring of Fire is roaring to life and that is really bad news for the west coast of the United States. Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes and approximately 75 percent of all volcanic eruptions occur along the Ring of Fire. Considering the fact that the entire west coast of the United States lies along the Ring of Fire, we should be very concerned that the Ring of Fire is becoming more active. On Wednesday, the most powerful strike-slip earthquake ever recorded happened along the Ring of Fire. If that earthquake had happened in a major U.S. city along the west coast, the city would have been entirely destroyed. Scientists tell us that there is nearly a 100% certainty that the “Big One” will hit California at some point. In recent years we have seen Japan, Chile, Indonesia and New Zealand all get hit by historic earthquakes. It is inevitable that there will be earthquakes of historic importance on the west coast of the United States as well. So far we have been very fortunate, but that good fortune will not last indefinitely.
In a previous article, I showed that earthquakes are becoming more frequent around the globe. In 2001, there were 137 earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater and in 2011 there were 205. The charts and data that I presented in that previous article show a clear upward trend in large global earthquakes over the past decade, and that is why what happened this week is so alarming.
On Wednesday, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia and that was rapidly followed by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. Fortunately those gigantic earthquakes did not produce a devastating tsunami, but that doesn’t mean that those earthquakes were not immensely powerful.
Normally we only see about one earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater per year. The magnitude 8.6 earthquake was the most powerful strike-slip earthquake in recorded history. If that earthquake had happened in the United States, it would have probably been the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. The following is from an article posted on The Extinction Protocol….
I’ve never heard of a strike-slip lateral earthquake of this great a magnitude; especially under water. Preliminary assessment of the Indonesian quakes by U.S. geologists suggests one plate lurched past each other as much as 70 feet. San Andreas is a strike-slip, lateral- can we even imagine two sections of ground moving 70 feet near San Francisco? Had the force of the Sumatra quakes been unleashed upon San Andreas, the city would have been completely destroyed.
And earthquake activity along the west coast has definitely been heating up in recent days.
On Wednesday, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck approximately 160 miles off of the coast of Oregon.
Early on Thursday, there were two major earthquakes (magnitude 6.9 and magnitude 6.2) in the Gulf of California.
It is only a matter of time before the “Big One” hits California.
Sadly, most Americans (especially young Americans) can’t even tell you what the Ring of Fire is. The following is how Wikipedia defines the “Ring of Fire”….
The Pacific Ring of Fire (or sometimes just the Ring of Fire) is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements.
The entire west coast of the United States falls along the Ring of Fire and a massive network of faults runs underneath California, Oregon and Washington.
At this point, scientists tell us that the west coast is long overdue for a major earthquake. An article in Time Magazine a few years ago stated the following….
California has more than 300 faults running beneath its surface, including the massive San Andreas Fault, yet the quake to end all quakes has yet to occur. In 1980, a federal report declared the likelihood of a major earthquake striking California within the next 30 years to be “well in excess of 50%.”
Unfortunately, the truth is that is a very, very conservative estimate. The west coast has always been extremely unstable and it always will be. At some point there is going to be a tragedy of unimaginable proportions on the west coast.
Just hope that you are not there when it happens.
But it isn’t just California, Oregon and Washington that should be concerned.
According to the Arizona Geological Survey, there were 131 earthquakes in the state of Arizona in 2011. That was a huge increase from just 53 in 2010.
And of course an absolutely nightmarish earthquake could occur along the New Madrid fault at any time, but that is a topic for another article.
As far as the Ring of Fire is concerned, another major threat is volcanic activity.
One of these days, one or more of the major volcanoes on the west coast is going to experience a major eruption again. There have been signs that Mt. Rainier has been becoming more active, and a major eruption of Mt. Rainier could potentially be absolutely devastating for much of the northwest United States.
Of even greater concern along the Ring of Fire is Mt. Fuji. As I wrote about the other day, Mt. Fuji has been dormant for about 300 years but is now rapidly roaring to life. New craters have appeared and these new craters are venting gas. There has been a swarm of earthquakes under Mt. Fuji this year, including a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on March 15th.
If Mt. Fuji were to experience a full-blown eruption, the consequences could be absolutely catastrophic. Mt. Fuji is not too far from Tokyo – one of the most densely populated cities on the entire planet. The loss of life resulting from a full-blown eruption of Mt. Fuji would be almost unimaginable.
But it is not just along the Ring of Fire that we are seeing a rise in volcanic activity. The truth is that we are seeing a rise in volcanic activity all over the globe. The following are just a couple of recent examples which have been in the news….
*The volcanoes in Iceland that caused such huge problems a few years ago are becoming very active once again.
*Authorities in Colombia have declared a “red alert” and believe that an eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano is imminent.
*Ash is venting at the world famous Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia.
Something really strange is going on.
Most scientists will deny it or will attempt to downplay it until they are blue in the face, but the truth is that the trembling of our planet is getting worse.
If this shaking continues to get worse, there are going to be some absolutely horrific tragedies in the years ahead.
So do you have a theory for why there is so much seismic activity happening along the Ring of Fire? Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below….
