Earthquake today: Major tremor forecasted to cause ‘a lot of damage’
A MAJOR earthquake has been forecast for today and it could have potential to cause catastrophic damage in populated areas.
New Zealand: Geologist warns to prepare for 'huge' earthquake
“Electromagnetic forces” within the solar system could wreak havoc on Earth today as some conspiracy theorists are claiming it will cause a major earthquake. The position of the Moon in relation to the Earth could cause an earthquake, according to one ‘new-age’ earthquake researcher. The claim was made by Frank Hoogerbeets, who believes a magnitude six quake could hit today, July 30, thanks to strange “lunar geometry”.
Mr Hoogerbeets wrote on his website Ditrianum: “Lunar geometry may trigger some larger seismic activity later on the 29th or 30th, possibly around mid 6 magnitude.”
According to Michigan Tech, a magnitude six quake has the potential to “cause a lot of damage in very populated areas”.
Mr Hoogerbeets reached his conclusion using his Solar System Geometry Index (SSGI) which “is the computation of a dataset for a specific time-frame of values given to specific geometric positions of the planets, the Moon and the Sun”.
He said: “After three years of observations, it became clear that some planetary geometry in the Solar System clearly tends to cause a seismic increase, while other geometry does not.”
But experts have regularly dismissed Mr Hoogerbeets’ claims, saying that there is no way earthquakes can be predicted.
John Bellini, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey (USGS) has said: “We can’t predict or forecast earthquakes.
“Sometimes before a large earthquake you’ll have a foreshock or two, but we don’t know they’re foreshocks until the big one happens.”
The USGS completely denies that earthquakes can be forecasted, writing on its website: “Neither the USGS nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake.
“We do not know how, and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future.”