Tag Archives: pacific ring of fire

International

Global Warming, Ice Age? U.S. study says Ice Age caused by particulate matter. Japan study shows Warming starts inside the Earth. Tropical Vietnam hits 25 Fahrenheit!!!

At the end of January 2012, the Christian Science Monitor published a story about a study done in the U.S. and Canada, which said, in a round-about way, that particulate matter in the air causes Ice Ages, not global warming.

A few days ago the Japanese Meteorological Agency reported the results of their  a study, which said ocean temperatures have increased.

I’ve been following the research on supposed global warming, with doubts about most of the claims, because traditional scientific hypothesis always said that large amounts of particulate matter in the air, either from volcanoes or man made pollution, causes cooling.

The latest study in the U.S. backs that up, but they found more than one cause.  What the researchers discovered is that changes in the weather are caused by  ‘triggers’.  Regarding Ice Ages; they found that it’s a combination of major triggers such as decreased activity from the Sun, increased particulate matter in the air and the depletion of the ozone in the upper atmosphere.

Although we’ve certainly had increased particulate matter in the air (from both pollution and volcanoes) the Japanese study showed that temps deep in the ocean have been rising about 0.02 Celsius (32.036 Fahrenheit) per year over the past decade!  They say the deep ocean temps are now an average of 0.15 C (32.27 F) warmer than 60 years ago.

But note that it’s deep ocean temperatures, not surface level.  The temp readings were taken at about 700 meters (2,297 feet) depth.  This means, to me, that the latest Japanese study says global warming originates inside the Earth.

Can there be warming and cooling happening, seemingly at the same time? Yes. There are hypothesis that say they are interactive cycles, one leading to the other.  This would mean that humans have nothing to do with it.

Studies have shown that decreased ozone in the upper atmosphere leads to a cooling of the atmosphere.  Everyone should know that there are now huge holes in the ozone above the North and South Poles.  Scientists say this is why ice forms at those regions, and why most of the Ice Age glaciers originate from the Poles.

Some scientists also say that ozone depletion is connected to Sun activity (not just pollution).  Is the Sun taking a break? Back in summer 2011, astronomers reported that Sun activity was declining.  Now, parts of Europe are being hit with a micro ice age (have you seen the pics of cars and buildings covered with inches of ice, which formed overnight?).

Another interesting thing is that even though South America is in the middle of summer right now, Peru’s mountainous areas have been hit with record cold temps and snowfall (at least 3,000 Alpacas froze to death)!

There are other reports that show a connection between depletion of ozone and the weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field.  A few years ago PBS did a report that showed the magnetic poles have become extremely weak, and that mini poles were popping up in other parts of the world (specifically one near south western Africa).

Sun activity was high in the past decade, which just happens to be when many people were crying “Global Warming”.  But increased Sun activity can only account for surface warming, and atmospheric warming, and it’s obvious now that many parts of the surface of the Earth are cooling.

Increased ocean temperatures, at more than 2,000 feet down, can only be caused by activity within the Earth.  Yes, there is an increase of earthquake and volcanic activity.  Especially around the Pacific Ring of Fire. Already there have been seven “significant” (magnitude 6.5 or higher) earthquakes in the first month of 2012, and all seven have happened around the Ring of Fire (or adjacent to it).

In total there have been more than 500 earthquakes around the Pacific Ring of Fire, since January 1, 2012!

Activity inside the Earth also affects the magnetic field.  One scientists described the core of the Earth more like an old wind up watch spring.  As it spins it releases energy such as the magnetic field, and like a watch spring it winds down weakening the magnetic field.  As it slows down it’s actually winding itself back up, eventually to spring back the other way, releasing the built up energy when it was winding up.

When you compress a spring, it builds up energy, and heat.  Scientist know that the Earth’s core is about to spring back into action, sometime soon.  The core is winding up, building up energy and heat, which could explain the deep ocean temperature increases.

Increased ocean temps would melt the fresh water polar glaciers faster than warm air temps.  Realize that the oceans are now full of fresh water, which floats on top of salt water.

The atmosphere of Earth is cooling and drying.  Anyone who’s lived in a freezing, yet dry, environment knows that you still have lots of evaporation (I’ve even seen what I call freeze dried snow and ice).

Ice that is evaporating, but not melting, is recognizable by the cavities forming inside.  It melts but that ice melt is almost instantly evaporated into the air.

Other studies have shown that it doesn’t take much of a surface temperature change to effect radical weather changes.  Only about 3 degrees Fahrenheit, plus or minus, over about ten to 20 years. Scientist have also realized that radical weather changes happen fast, not slowly as once thought.  Again, anyone notice how much the ice built up in the micro ice age that’s hitting parts of Europe right now?

What about tropical Vietnam?  Vietnam is partly blaming an outbreak of H5N1 influenza on unusual cold weather. On top of that, on January 15, 2012, Vietnamese media reported that 7,000 water buffalo froze to death, after temps in tropical northern Vietnam hit minus four degrees Celsius (25 Fahrenheit)!!!

So we now have a situation with lots of fresh water in the oceans and an extremely dry, and cool, atmosphere.  A dry atmosphere, even though cool, will suck up as much water as it can. When it gets saturated it’ll dump out the excess water.  If overall temps are still warm, we could see tropical weather almost everywhere.  But if temps are cold…Ice Age.

What we are seeing now, is an Earth that is in between major cycles. An Earth whose watch spring core has wound down, and is winding back up for the next run. Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows.  Maybe the Mayans are correct about 2012?

International, Technology, U.S.

Pacific Ring of Fire Seismic Events part 5 Largest Deadliest update

Since I posted part 4 of Pacific Ring of Fire Seismic Events, the United States Geological Survey added one more quake to it’s “Largest and Deadliest Earthquake” list; the March 11 earthquake near Japan.

But have there been more large quakes this year, not qualifying for the USGS title of “Deadliest”, but still large, and more than normal?

According to the USGS “Significant Earthquakes of the World” list, so far this year there have been 49 magnitude 6.5, or greater quakes around the Pacific Ring.  The majority of those being near Japan.  There’s still three months left to go for 2011.

In 2010 the USGS recorded about 57 M6.5+ quakes around the Pacific Ring.  About 50 M6.5+ quakes took place in 2009.  So in the past three years it looks like about 50 M6.5+ Pacific Ring quakes per year are the norm.

I went back to “Significant Earthquakes of the World 1999”, and counted about 53 M6.5+ Pacific Ring quakes.  So, without doing more detailed research, it looks like the number of “significant” quakes around the Pacific Ring is about 50 per year, and seems to be normal.  Unless we get a sudden boost in quake activity within the next three months, it looks like 2011 will be another normal year.

What about the number of “deadliest” earthquakes, is there an upward trend?  It doesn’t seem so.  Looking at the USGS “Largest and Deadliest Earthquakes by Year 1990-2011” list, we average about one or two per year, and that’s all over the world not just the Pacific Ring.  The USGS determines the “largest and deadliest” by a combination of magnitude intensity and the number of people killed.

However, I noticed an interesting trend regarding when those “largest” deadly quakes happen; most of the dates are from Autumn to Spring, with the minority happening during Summer.  We are closer to the Sun from Fall to Spring, mmmm.

 

Fukushima

Pacific Ring of Fire: Japanese University says big quakes are coming for Tokyo

“If there is drastic plate movement, there is no guarantee that the scale of the quake will be in line with the government’s prediction of up to magnitude 7.3.”-Hirata Naoshi, Earthquake Research Committee

The University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute believes that major earthquakes are in the near future for Tokyo city, and Ibaraki Prefecture, no thanks to the 11 March 2011 9.0 quake.

Even though the 11 March earthquake was at least a hundred miles north of Tokyo, it was so powerful that the tectonic plate under Tokyo has changed so dramatically, that scientists think a massive quake caused by action on two or more areas of the plate is highly likely.  Since 11 March, the number of Tokyo quakes of magnitude 3 or greater has increased by fourfold.

Tokyo is subject to earthquakes that are located along plate boundaries, as well as quakes that happen along fault lines within a single plate.

Ibaraki Prefecture, just south of Fukushima Prefecture, is even worse off.  Since 11 March, quakes of magnitude 3 or greater have increased by 20 times!

The high tectonic activity is on the coastline, inland quake activity has not increased, but it has changed.

Japanese scientists say that recent inland quakes are much more shallower that past earthquakes.

Fukushima

Pacific Ring of Fire: 14 previously dormant fault lines now alive and threatening in Japan!

14 fault lines in Japan, which were thought to be ‘safe’ are now considered dangerous, potentially producing a 7.6 earthquake.

The other problem is that they all run near nuclear power plants.

A survey of the fault lines were undertaken by nuclear power plant operators, like Tokyo Electric Power Company.  They concluded that the fault lines are a real threat.

Nine fault lines are near Japan Atomic Power Company’s Tokai Number 2 power plant, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency’s Tokai reprocessing plant in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The other five faults are near Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Number 1 (Daiichi) and Number 2 (Daini) nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture.

 

International

Pacific Ring of Fire: March 11 now being called world’s first “megadisaster”, it was a real air bender, more to come

Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics published a study which showed the March 11, 9.0 quake in Japan hit the upper atmosphere as well.

Disturbances in the upper atmosphere, directly above the epicenter of the earthquake, were picked up by more than 1,000 GPS systems. The effect is called seismotraveling ionospheric disturbances, literally air bending.

This is not the only study that shows a connection between major quakes and the atmosphere.  An earlier NASA report showed the atmosphere above Japan “heated up” days before the March 11 disasters: “Our first results show that on March 8 a rapid increase of emitted infrared radiation was observed from the satellite data.”-Dimitar Ouzounov, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

It wasn’t just the 9.0 quake that hit the atmosphere, air bending also took place immediately after the massive tsunami hit Japan.

It turns out that air bending took place after the 2004, 9.3 Sumatra quake.  But, the 9.0 Japanese quake of March 11 produced air bending three times that of the 2004 Sumatra quake.  This is one reason why March 11, 2011, is being called the world’s first megadisaster.

The other reason is all the massive aftershocks that keep rocking Japan. Just in the last week three aftershocks, greater than 5.0, hit northern Japan within days of each other.  Japanese scientists have warned that such huge aftershocks could continue for years.


 

 

U.S.

Pacific Ring of Fire: Alaska volcano threatens air traffic

The Colorado volcano in Alaska is erupting, something that was predicted back in July.  Scientists think the eruptions could get bigger, based on satellite images.

The volcano is on an island (part of the Aleutian Islands) and doesn’t threaten people, but, because it’s thought the volcano’s eruptions could get bigger, it poses a threat to air traffic.

Scientists are so worried about a major eruption that they’ve ruled out flying to the island for closer inspection.

The volcano has frequent minor eruptions.  The last big eruption was in 2001, when the lava flows made it to he ocean.

 

International

Pacific Ring of Fire: 3rd volcano erupts on Indonesian island

For the third time this year, a volcano is erupting in Indonesia.  This time it’s the Mount Lokon volcano, on the same island as two other volcanoes; Sulawesi island.

This time at least 4,600 people were forced to evacuate.  In March, Mount Karangetang erupted, then on July 3 Mount Soputan erupted.  Mount Lokon, Soputan and Karangetang are all on the Sulawesi island chain.

The last time Mount Lokon erupted was in 1991.

International

Pacific Ring of Fire: Japan hit by another 7+ earthquake

July 10, a 7.3 quake hit the same area that experienced a 9.0 quake on March 11.

Two meter high (6.4 feet) waves were seen on the coasts of Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures.

Officials with Japan’s Meteorological Agency say this latest aftershock resulted from the Pacific Plate shifting horizontally.  They believe more aftershocks in the 7 range could occur, into next year.