Comment #1

sully16 — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:20:48 GMT

very interesting.

Original Blog Entry: "Supermoon" and Earthquakes: Is there a Correlation?

Coin Toss — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:38:54 GMT

Supermoon and Earthquakes: Is there a Correlation?

By Heather Buchman, Meteorologist

Mar 11, 2011; 3:02 PM ET

There has been much speculation about the upcoming supermoon on March 19, 2011 and what impacts it could have on the Earth.

Earthquakes and tsunamis, like the devastating ones that just hit Japan Friday, as well as volcanic eruptions and major storms, are included in the list of possibilities, according to some astrologers and conspiracy theorists.

There are scientists, however, who argue that supermoons do not play a role, and that natural disasters that have occurred around the time of a supermoon are just coincidence.

What Is a Supermoon?

A supermoon occurs when a new or full moon is at or near (within 90 percent of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. This is the definition provided by Astrologer Richard Nolle, who gave this phenomenon its name in 1979.

This AP Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky captured the moon in St. Petersburg, Russia on Feb. 18, 2011. According to Nolle, the last supermoon was in effect at the time.

According an article written by Nolle, supermoons occur four to six times a year, and the supermoon on March 19, 2011 will be the second one this year.

AccuWeather.com Astronomy Blogger Mark Paquette discussed the topic of supermoons earlier this month. According to his research, an extreme supermoon occurs when the full or new moon is at 100 percent of its closest perigee to Earth, or the closest it can possibly get to Earth.

The supermoon on March 19, 2011 will be extreme.

Past Supermoons That Have Coincided with Natural Disasters

The last supermoon this year was in effect Feb. 12-21, Nolle said, just before the earthquake that left Christchurch, New Zealand in ruins on Feb. 22, 2011.

Nolle also stated that the last extreme supermoon occurred on Jan. 30, 2011, several weeks after the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

Paquette also pointed out in his blog that the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004 occurred about two weeks prior to a supermoon on Jan. 10, 2005.

More natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, are mentioned in conjunction with supermoons in Nolle's article.

So What Effect Do Supermoons Actually Have on the Earth?

The moon does obviously have an influence on the Earth.

As Rich Briggs, research geologist with the U.S.G.S. stated, The gravitational pull of the moon creates Earth tides and sea tides and causes portions of the Earth's surface to bulge.

In response to Friday's devastating earthquake offshore of Japan, however, Briggs said, The moon does not need to be invoked to explain what caused this event. There are much simpler explanations.

He explained that the earthquake occurred along a major subduction zone, or convergent boundary.

Along this subduction zone, the Pacific plate is colliding with the North America plate at a rate of 8 cm per year, Briggs said, So that's the rate at which strain is accumulated. Over many decades and centuries, all that strain accumulates and eventually releases in one sudden rupture.

He added that slips along the fault when it ruptured Friday measured 18-20 meters, or about 60-65 feet.

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/46883/supermoon-and-earthquakes-is-t.asp?partner=accuweather

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