Understanding earthquakes

Earlier today (at 0908 UTC on March 14), a powerful 6.8 earthquake shook Japan, just three days after the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake of March 11 last year.

Thankfully, no injuries or damage were reported from this earthquake, which was centered about 120 miles off the coast of the north island of Japan, or from the 6.1 earthquake which followed it and which was off the coast of Chiba near Tokyo (another 5.7 aftershock followed this one as well).

Earlier this year -- on the first of January in fact -- Japan experienced another powerful earthquake, measuring 7.0. These earthquakes -- especially these recent quakes so close to the anniversary of the 2011 tragedy -- have many people around the world wondering what's going on?


























Although conventional tectonic theory purports to tell us the general cause of earthquakes (drifting tectonic plates, which tectonic theory says are sometimes subducting under other plates, sometimes colliding with other plates, and sometimes causing sliding and slippage along the surface where two plates meet), there is extensive evidence from around the globe which calls the tectonic theory into question. There is some evidence that earthquakes do not fit the tectonic explanation either (we have pointed out, for example, the fact that many earthquakes take place far from plate boundaries).

The hydroplate theory of Dr. Walt Brown explains hundreds of pieces of geological evidence from around the world better than competing explanations explain them. Because of this fact, Dr. Brown's explanation for the cause of earthquakes should be carefully studied and understood. The best way to do that is to visit his chapter on "The Origins of Ocean Trenches, Earthquakes, and the Ring of Fire," available in its entirety online.

In order to understand the origins of earthquakes according to the hydroplate theory, one must realize that all earthquakes can in a very real sense be considered "aftershocks" of a catastrophic event caused by the physics surrounding a worldwide flood.

During that event, the high-velocity escape of massive amounts of water from deep under the earth's crust eroded tons of sediments as it flooded the earth. During the period that the floodwaters covered the earth, these sediments were sorted into the strata that are found around the world today. The removal of this weight along the line of the rupture where the water escaped, however, started in motion a chain of events that literally continues to this day.

It did not happen immediately, but the basement rock beneath the rupture eventually began to arch upwards, and as it did so, the immense frictional forces involved melted rock deep below it, according to the hydroplate theory. Great quantities of rock were melted. Simultaneously, the plates that hold today's continents (bounded by the sheer edges that mark the rift caused by the escaping water, which are today's continental shelves) began to slide away from this upward bulging line, which began in the Atlantic along the geological feature that remains today as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The removal of this additional weight as the continents began to slide away from the bulge (still lubricated below by some of the subterranean water, hence the term "hydroplates") caused the bulge to spring up even further, accompanied by even more frictional melting and heat.

This upward bulge, of course, did not open up a big "air pocket" in the center of the earth -- instead, the mass below rushed upwards to compensate, with the effect that on the opposite side of the globe, the rock was "sucked downwards" towards the Atlantic, accompanied by massive melting and heat there as well. As rock melted below the surface that would become the floor of the Pacific ocean, the entire area was pulled by gravity towards the earth's center (and towards the Atlantic on the opposite side of the globe).

As Dr. Brown explains:

During the flood phase, frictional heating in the inner earth began melting and contracting solid rock, as explained in “Magma Production and Movement” on page 151. Because of this contraction, the crust on the Pacific side of the earth (hereafter called the Pacific plate ) fractured at many places within the boundaries of the ring of fire and settled (downward, toward the Atlantic) by at least 10 miles!¹³ That drop steepened the downhill slope of the sliding hydroplates and allowed them to slide into the Pacific region without major obstructions. Downward buckling and deep faulting formed trenches. Soon, huge volumes of magma began erupting onto the days-old Pacific floor. During the next few years, frictional heating melted much of the inner earth. All this melting lubricated the shifts inside the earth and allowed gravitational settling, which released much more heat, increased earth’s spin rate, and converted the inner earth to today’s inner and outer core—monumental changes. The thick layer of magma that spilled onto the top of the sunken Pacific plate provided most of the heat that drove the ice age and accounts for almost 40,000 volcanoes. Even today, magma breaks out and escapes upward, heating part of the ocean and creating “El Niño” weather conditions.

The creation of an enormous basin on the other side of the earth from the upward bulge of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge only served to increase the slide of the continents towards it and away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on both sides. The edges of this violently collapsed section of the globe would become the well-known "Ring of Fire" along which about 90% of today's earthquakes still take place.

The enormous production of magma that took place during these events -- from the movement of so much rock deep within the earth, as well as from the sliding of these plates -- is extremely important for the explanation of earthquakes to this day. As Dr. Brown explains, when rock melts to magma, it occupies more volume than the original rock when it is at the earth's surface (in the form of lava, for example) and at depths of up to about 220 miles beneath the surface. Below that depth, however, melted rock in the form of magma actually occupies less volume than the original rock. At depths of around 220 miles, the magma occupies about the same volume as the original rock.

This fact helps explains the cause of earthquakes, as well as the depths at which earthquakes originate. Magma formed at depths less than about 220 miles tends to migrate towards the surface (which explains all the volcanoes around the ring of fire, as well as all the volcanic flows on the floor of the Pacific and in the Pacific Northwest, and the numerous volcanic archipelagos and seamounts found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean). Magma below that depth tends to seep downwards, towards the earth's core, and is responsible for the formation of earth's liquid outer core.

Magma formed at depths of about 220 miles, where it occupies about the same volume as the original rock, does not have as strong a tendency to migrate. The migration of magma is what creates violent shifts inside the earth, which are felt as earthquakes.

Dr. Brown explains that the many faults that were created by the violent forces described above (as well as by the forces generated when the sliding hydroplates finally ground to a halt) continue to experience heating and melting today. He explains how this can cause a shallow earthquake (at depths less than 220 miles):

As discussed on page 151, frictional heating along the fault melts the grain-sized minerals with the lowest melting temperatures, causing them to expand, because they were above the crossover depth. (Remember: Tiny movements at the extreme pressures deep in the earth create great heat and melting.) Minerals with higher melting temperatures remained solid, maybe for decades, thereby encasing and trapping the tiny droplets of melted rock.

As more frictional heat “soaked” very slowly into the rock on both sides of the fault, the previously encased droplets of melt began to leak. Paths opened up for the expanding melt to escape upward buoyantly, allowing the highly compressed solid “scaffolding” (surrounding the focus and composed of the minerals with the highest melting temperatures) to become unstable and begin to collapse. Frictional heating instantly became extreme, so all nearby minerals suddenly melted. The result: a powerful earthquake.

The terrible earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 was measured to have its origin at a point twenty miles below the ocean floor, thus qualifying as a shallow earthquake and demonstrating that a "shallow" earthquake can be incredibly powerful.

Similarly, the earthquakes that took place today appear to have been shallow earthquakes. Here is a USGS report for the 6.8 quake (listed here as a 6.9 in the initial report), showing the depth of the epicenter to have been 16.5 miles.

The trigger for a deep earthquake is similar, but the magma displaces downwards towards earth's core instead of upwards, as Dr. Brown goes on to explain:

Similar events occur below the crossover depth, except there the melted minerals “shrink”—become denser—and slowly drain down into the outer core. Near the crossover depth, melted rock has about the same density as the surrounding rock, so that melt has little tendency to rise or sink. For that reason, earthquakes are rare near the crossover depth. This explains the bimodal distribution of earthquakes with depth and locates the crossover depth at about 220 miles down, as shown in Figure 87.

The link at the end of that paragraph shows a chart of earthquakes measuring 5.0 or greater, and there is a strong "barbell" distribution of depths, with the center of one distribution at a depth of 22 miles (shallow earthquakes), and the center of the second distribution at 370 miles (deep earthquakes). There is a noticeable trough in the distribution at the "crossover depth" of 220 miles.

This scientific data strongly argues that the hydroplate explanation for the cause of earthquakes is correct. It is difficult to see how the tectonic theory -- which argues that earthquakes are caused by the ongoing drifting of plates atop a generally liquid mantle -- can explain this bimodal distribution data.

The hydroplate theory argues that the mantle is generally solid (although it contains trapped magma), while the tectonic theory argues that the mantle is generally liquid. The data described in this post appears to support the hydroplate theory on this assertion as well.

Finally, and rather ominously, Dr. Brown makes the statement that, "Drainage into the outer core continues today, releases gigantic amounts of heat throughout the mantle and core,²⁸ and will eventually produce many powerful earthquakes. When this will happen is uncertain.²⁹ "

In other words, the heat released by previous earthquakes can begin the process of "heat sink" described in the passage quoted above (on shallow earthquakes, although applicable equally well to deep earthquakes). This could theoretically mean that over time, powerful earthquakes could generate a "chain reaction" effect, initiating the process of triggering more earthquakes, which in turn lend their heat to new buildups that will develop into earthquakes themselves.

Perhaps this has already been going on for thousands of years, and we don't have to be concerned that it is getting worse. Let's hope that this is the case.

Jupiter - Venus conjunction 2012

Tonight has to be one of the most spectacular nights for stargazing (and planetgazing!) in some while -- perhaps many years.

The much-anticipated conjunction of Jupiter and Venus is beginning. The two planets have been approaching each other fairly slowly for weeks, but now their approach is speeding up noticeably, and they are now extremely close -- see photograph above taken about an hour-and-a-half ago near the California coast in the "mid-thirty" north latitudes. Their exact conjunction takes place over the next twenty-four to thirty hours, but they may already look almost level in the sky, depending on your latitude.

Our orbit brings observers on earth into a position to see Jupiter and Venus in conjunction every thirteen months, but this conjunction is especially noteworthy because Venus is near its point of maximum elongation from the sun for observers on earth (the cycles of Venus for observers on earth are discussed in this previous post).

In this previous post, we discussed this conjunction and noted that, if ancient myths are really inspired vessels for the transmission of a sophisticated understanding of celestial and planetary events, then we should be able to find ancient myths that describe the approach of these two planets in some kind of extended metaphor, and in fact we do find such metaphorical myths involving these two heavenly powers.

By going outside tonight, you can observe the same events and know that thousands of years ago observers saw in them the same mythological figures that you can imagine as you gaze at the heavens.

First, and unmistakeable in the west, are the enormous orbs of Jupiter and Venus, looking very yellow to the naked eye, with Jupiter a deeper yellow than Venus. To their right are the two brightest stars of the constellation Aries the Ram (in the head of the Ram), forming something of a letter "Y" lying on its side when viewed in conjunction with Jupiter and Venus (which form the stem of the "Y" or the head of an arrow or a dart if the two stars of Aries are the fletching of the arrow).

A good diagram of the view of these two amazing planets (and the location of those two stars in Aries) can be found in the third image down on "This Week's Sky at a Glance" (March 9th through 17th edition) from Sky & Telescope online. The first image in that same web page shows how rapidly Jupiter will separate from Venus as it continues towards the horizon over the next several nights.

With the moon now rising after midnight (on its way to the next new moon on March 22, in which it rises along with the [nearly] equinoctial sunrise), the entire panoply of stars is visible in the sky above and around the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (prior to the moon's rise, which tends to drown out some stars from view).

In the photograph above, reddish Aldebaran is visible almost directly up from Jupiter. It is unmistakeable among the other stars, located at about the same level as the head of Orion, which dominates the sky to the south at the time the above photo was taken. Orion is situated almost directly to the left of the view captured by the camera above for an observer in the mid-northern latitudes at that hour.

Aldebaran is in the constellation of Taurus the Bull, the brightest star of the "V-shaped" Hyades which are depicted in this previous post and this previous post. The diagrams in those posts, however, show Aldebaran and Taurus as they appeared when rising in the east shortly after dusk earlier in the year: because they have continued to rise earlier and earlier each day, they are now well across the sky after dusk, and the "V" of the Hyades is oriented almost exactly like the capital "V" on this page (for observers in the northern hemisphere at about 8pm when the photo above was taken). It is clearly visible in the night sky, even though it does not show up in the image above.

Similarly, the glowing cloud of the Pleiades is located almost directly up from Venus, and again it is clearly visible in the sky even though it is not very visible in the photograph (its location is circled in the picture, where you can detect a faint blur). The stars of the Pleiades are nicely visible through binoculars. They are shown and discussed in this previous post, but again that diagram depicts them on their way upwards from the eastern horizon, while they are now on their way downwards towards the west.

Many of the other important constellations discussed in previous posts can be seen tonight in all of their stunning majesty, including of course Orion (reaching his highest point on his daily arc at about 7:30 pm, and still quite dominant in the center of the sky when you look towards the south). Around him you can see all of the stars and constellations associated with the "Winter Circle." These include Sirius (and the entire constellation Canis Major is quite easily traced), Procyon in Canis Minor, the Twins of Gemini, and the important constellation of Auriga the Charioteer. Links to disussions describing how to find identify each of these celestial landmarks, and their importance in ancient myth, are contained in that previous post on the Winter Circle.

Not far away, it is also easy to spot the distinctive constellations of Perseus and Cassiopeia (diagrammed in the above-linked post discussing the Pleiades, as well as in this post about the August Perseid meteor shower).

In the east, Leo the Lion is enormous and extremely regal. The red planet Mars is every bit as unmistakeable in the eastern sky as Jupiter and Venus are in the west. Mars continues his apparent retrograde motion (it still has about a month to go) and has now proceeded to a point about a third of the way from Coxa (in the Lion's hip) to Regulus (his brightest star, representing one of his two forepaws). For more discussion of this apparent retrograde motion, see also this previous post.

There are actually many other brilliant constellations in the moonless pre-midnight sky right now, as well as an opportunity to spot Saturn (rising in the east around 9:45 pm) and Mercury (setting in the west behind the sun, but almost at his maximum elongation from the sun and therefore visible below Venus and Jupiter after sunset, to observers with a clear view of the western horizon).

It would be difficult to imagine a better set of circumstances for night-time appreciation of the glorious heavens! The next few nights should deliver much of the same -- I hope you have the opportunity to view the spectacle if your circumstances permit.

Salt domes

Salt domes are enormous geological structures in which great plumes of salt have penetrated upwards through overlying layers of stratigraphy, sometimes for many thousands of feet.

They displace the layers of strata and create pockets alongside and above the salt plume which often contain oil and natural gas: thus, salt domes are very well known in the oil and gas industry and have great value when they are located. Here is a link to a diagram of a salt dome at Fausse Point, Louisiana where a petroleum exploration and production company (Golden Gate Petroleum from Australia) has identified an extensive "play" in the displaced strata adjacent to a large salt dome. Here is a link to a diagram on the webpage of King Saud University illustrating salt domes and their importance in oil and gas exploration.

In addition to being important for onshore oil and gas exploration, salt domes are found in great abundance in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean, where the layers that they are pushing through are now underneath seawater. Many offshore oil plays in the gulf are found next to salt domes.

How can we explain the origin of salt domes? Conventional geology argues that ancient seas must have evaporated (in some cases, evaporating and re-filling many times) in order to produce massive salt deposits. Later, over millions of additional years, layers of strata were laid down over the salt layers. Sometimes, the trapped salt pushed its way up through the strata to create salt domes.

There are some problems with this explanation, the chief among them being the amount of ancient evaporation and refilling that would be required to create the "mother layer" far below the enormous plumes. As Dr. Walt Brown, originator of the hydroplate theory points out, the "mother salt layer" beneath the Gulf of Mexico is about 100,000 square miles in area and 1,000 feet thick, and is located at depths of 20,000 feet.

To produce that much salt, a hypothetical ancient sea must have evaporated and re-filled dozens of times, as would the hypothetical ancient sea proposed to explain the mother salt layer found beneath the Mediterranean (which also exhibits salt domes). Dr. Brown asks of such explanations, even if we grant this speculative multiple evaporation of an ancient sea, "why didn’t each refilling of the Mediterranean basin redissolve the salt residue left from prior evaporations, allowing currents to remove the basin’s salt?" (see this page in his online book where Dr. Brown discusses salt domes about halfway down the page).

He also points out on this page that salt domes and their deep mother salt layers do not contain organic remains, which is another powerful argument against the conventional explanation (see point number eight).

The hydroplate theory, however, has a very straightforward explanation for these geological features. Prior to the catastrophic flood, salt water trapped beneath the earth's crust was under tremendous pressure, and became super-critical. Super-critical water can hold much greater amounts of dissolved chemicals, including salt, than water under normal conditions. However, at a certain temperature point, this salt will precipitate out.

On this page of his online book (see the section entitled "Flood Phase"), Dr. Brown explains how the earth's vast salt layers were formed during events surrounding the global flood:

As explained on page 120, salt had precipitated out of the supercritical subterranean water before the flood began, covering the chamber floor with solid, but mushy, salt. Escaping water swept much of it out of the chambers. When sediments falling through the flood waters blanketed the pasty, relatively low-density salt, an unstable arrangement arose, much like having a layer of light oil beneath a denser layer of water. A slight jiggle will cause the lighter layer below to flow up as a plume through the denser layer above. In the case of salt, that plume is called a salt dome. Deep salt layers—some 20,000 feet below sea level²³—are resting on what was the much deeper chamber floor. Wherever the chamber roof was removed, the floor below rose. Two such places are now the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea.

We have previously seen evidence that the strata found around the world were laid down rapidly during the flood, rather than over the course of millions of years as proposed by conventional uniformitarian geology.

Thus, salt domes join a long list of evidence which is difficult if not impossible to explain under the conventional geological paradigm, but which is satisfactorily explained by the hydroplate theory. Other examples are linked in this previous post, although there are dozens more discussed in other previous posts and literally hundreds of others examined in Dr. Brown's books.

A proper understanding of earth's geology is not only important for finding hydrocarbons (in fact, it is quite possible to find hydrocarbons while operating under flawed geological theories -- salt domes were known to be important for locating oil as far back as the 1800s, prior to the advent of Wegener's theory of continental drift). It is also extremely important for the proper understanding of earthquakes (and the possibility of providing better early warning than we have today).

Also, Dr. Brown's theory of a catastrophic flood throws light on many mysteries of mankind's ancient past, as discussed in the Mathisen Corollary book (and elsewhere on this blog). It is truly worthy of greater consideration.

The March 11 earthquake

March 11 is the solemn anniversary of the deadly Tohoku-Oki earthquake and aftershocks, in which 20,000 human beings lost their lives.

It is an appropriate day to practice thoughts of compassion towards others, and especially towards those whose lives have been impacted by that catastrophe.

In a previous post, we saw that researchers have measured actual and significant changes in brain activity among monks who were asked to meditate on "unconditional loving-kindness and compassion." In this essay, the Dalai Lama (with whom the monks whose brainwaves were measured in that study were associated) wrote that compassion includes "genuine sympathy for others' suffering and the will to help remove their pain."

We can also hope that better understanding of what causes very powerful earthquakes can in the future lead to some improved prevention of suffering and loss of life.

One's fundamental geological theory will have a huge influence over one's explanation of what causes earthquakes. In this very important page of his book -- which he makes available free of charge to everybody online and which should be carefully considered by all those whose life's work involves the prediction and analysis of earthquakes -- Dr. Walt Brown compares the different theories regarding the mechanisms that cause earthquakes. In particular, he compares the mechanism proposed by the currently-accepted tectonic model and the mechanism proposed by the hydroplate theory.

There are many reasons why I believe that the hydroplate theory's explanation for earthquakes is superior to the tectonic theory's explanation. In numerous previous posts on this blog, we have examined evidence suggesting problems with the tectonic theory -- evidence which appears to strongly support the hydroplate theory (several links to previous posts discussing such evidence can be found in the final four paragraphs of this post).

In the bottom half of the web page previously linked from Dr. Brown's book, he has a very important section (in an inset text-box) entitled "What Causes Earthquakes, and How Can They Be Predicted?" He explains that during the flood event, rapidly escaping water removed vast amounts of material from the edges of what would become today's continents. Eventually, the removal of enough material (and the removal of enough weight) from the chamber floor directly below caused the section of the floor to bulge upward, in the area that today is the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

On the other side of the earth, fractures and contraction (caused by melting and the contraction of magma due to the tremendous forces being generated that were pulling on the underside of the Pacific plate due to the upward pressure on the Atlantic side) weakened the support around the perimeter of the Pacific plate, resulting in a sudden and accelerating collapse of that plate, which sank inwards to create the Pacific basin and the Ring of Fire around its edges.

This event initiated the slide of the plates carrying today's continents away from the bulge in the center of the Atlantic and towards the basin that had opened up to form today's Pacific, as well as the eventual drainage of the floodwaters. It is also, according to the hydroplate theory, the root cause of today's earthquakes, which are primarily triggered by the force of gravity rather than by the convection-driven circulation of magma beneath "floating" plates (the mechanism that causes earthquakes according to the tectonic theory).

As Dr. Brown explains, today's faults were created during the events described above. Occasionally, rock along these faults will shift (different from the drifting proposed by the tectonic theory -- shifting is akin to heavy boxes in the back of a truck shifting to a position of lower potential energy), initiating the following sequence of events:

Frictional heat generated by slippage along a fault will increasingly melt, deep within the walls of the fault, mineral grains with the lowest melting temperatures. The solid rock encasing the liquid droplets is stretched by expanding droplets above the crossover depth and compressed by shrinking droplets below the crossover depth. As heating within a large volume of rock increases, more liquid droplets form, merge, and eventually escape along faults.³⁹ The remaining solid rock collapses as an earthquake, while the slow drainage allows continental movement, as shown in Figure 91 on page 165. If piezoelectric⁴⁰ minerals, such as quartz, are among those stressed, voltages can build up for hundreds of miles around what will become the impending earthquake’s point of origin (the focus).⁴¹ Such voltages and the resulting electromagnetic effects are known earthquake precursors. They are even detected in the ionosphere, about 40–600 miles above the solid earth.

The presence of electromagnetic events prior to and during severe earthquakes has been discussed in previous posts such as this one, which contains a link to a 1912 book quoting contemporary descriptions of unusual lightning during the powerful New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 (in the United States).

Dr. Brown points out that electromagnetic signals were detected days prior to the Tohoku-Oki earthquake of 2011, as well as prior to the tragic 2010 Haiti earthquake in which 316,000 human beings lost their lives. However, due to lack of understanding of the importance of these signals, they did not lead to any preventive activity.

He notes that scientists are now beginning to realize that increases in electromagnetic activity, as well as increases in heat, can be measured prior to an earthquake and can be used to predict powerful earthquakes before they happen. However, because they generally hold the wrong fundamental assumptions regarding the mechanisms which cause earthquakes, scientists do not understand why these precursors take place. Both of these precursors can be satisfactorily explained under the hydroplate explanation of the cause of earthquakes.

Sadly, he notes that "an unwillingness to consider a global flood and a new scientific paradigm" will probably prove the greatest obstacle to the acceptance of a better understanding of earthquakes, and better measures to provide early warning that could save human lives and reduce suffering.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to those in Japan who are in mourning and grief on this one-year anniversary of the terrible earthquake, and our hope that people everywhere will continue to work towards the reduction and prevention of suffering and loss of life due to earthquakes.

Altered States: acoustics in the ancient megalithic temples of the Old and New Worlds

Here is a link to an amazing article published this past Monday in the March 2012 edition of Popular Archaeology and entitled "Ancient Builders Created Monumental Structures that Altered Sound and Mind, Say Researchers."

The article focuses on the work of Linda Eneix at the Hypogeum Hal-Saflieni in Malta (on the island of Gozo -- see diagram in this previous post), one of the most incredible and unique ancient monumental structures on earth, where about 2,000 tons of rock were removed to create a labyrinth of curving chambers, stairways, trilithons, and columns. The site may date to as early as 4000 BC according to some estimates, while others place the Malta structures as belonging to a period from 3800 BC to 2400 BC; in any event the megalithic structures on Malta are often alleged to be among the oldest in the world.

According to Linda Eneix and her fellow-researchers, the Hypogeum contains sophisticated acoustics that consistently produce vibrations in the frequency range of about 110 Hz, which apparently causes abrupt and measurable changes in brain activity that scientists at the site have documented in volunteer subjects.

The same article discusses previous work suggesting similar findings at other ancient megalithic sites around the globe, including the ceremonial center at Chavín de Huántar in Peru, as well as at Newgrange in Ireland.

More discussion by Linda Eneix of these acoustics can be found here, part of the Old Temples Study Foundation website.

The level of sophistication in acoustic incorporation into quite challenging architectural design indicates that these extremely ancient structures were not the product of very primitive humans who were just beginning to emerge from the hunter-gatherer phase. Yet this obvious fact is quite damaging to the conventional narrative of mankind's ancient past.

In fact, it is quite apparent from the archaeoacoustic analysis described in the above essays and articles that ancient humans probably understood more about the importance and impact of sound vibrations than we do today! Such a startling assertion resonates with the themes discussed by John Anthony West in his classic 1979 text, Serpent in the Sky, as well as the elaboration on this subject found in previous blog posts such as:

• "Why do we listen to beautiful music about heartbreak and misery?"

• "Would you drink whiskey from a pilsner glass?"

• "Mild but persistent torture"

and

• "What kind of music gives you chills?"

It also brings to mind a quotation in this previous post, in which I wrote: "In a sense, we might say that the measurements of a building or a garden can act on us in much the same way that music can act on us: architecture is 'physical music.'"

Another important implication of this nascent study of the archaeoacoustics of ancient megalithic spaces (besides the fact that these acoustic effects clearly reveal an advanced and sophisticated level of scientific and human-biological awareness) is the evidence that very similar acoustic effects appear to have been incorporated in megalithic sites on continents separated by mighty oceans, implying that the ancient civilizations that built them either had direct contact with one another or that they were descended from a common ancestor civilization (or perhaps from ancestor civilizations that had contact with one another).

This second conclusion should not be very hard to believe: it should not be too farfetched to imagine that a culture demonstrating the levels of scientific sophistication required to create the acoustics of the Hypogeum of Malta might also be able to navigate by the stars and build ships that could cross the bluewater oceans. Extensive evidence of other sorts points to the fact that ancient trans-oceanic contact took place long before conventional historians say that it did.

Further, the temples on Malta contain precise astronomical and solar alignments. The Hypogeum appears to contain some solstice alignments, and we have already seen in previous posts that the Mnajdra temple contains a precise equinoctial orientation. The incorporation of such alignments reinforces the suggestion that the same civilization that constructed these megalithic structures might also have had the ability to cross the oceans.

Below is an excellent video discussing and demonstrating the equinoctial alignments at Mnajdra:

Previously, this blog post discussing these alignments pointed out that the fact that the precise east-west orientation of the central corridor of this very ancient temple has been preserved for more than 5,000 years is a devastating piece of evidence that calls into question the foundations of the tectonic theory of earth's geology.

Thus, the temples on Malta prove to be extremely important in preserving evidence that refutes the most basic assumptions undergirding conventional geology as well as those undergirding the conventional views about the ancient history of the human race.

Finally, the suggestions about the importance of sound and vibration and the possibilities that these vibrations -- even if generated by the human voice -- have powerful and beneficial impacts on us human beings is a line of study which ties right in to the subjects discussed in this previous post, and in this previous post.

The possibility that certain voice-activated vibrational frequencies can alter brain activity is fascinating; it is also fascinating to learn that some archaeologists have found traces of ergot in one of the chambers of the Hypogeum (called "The Cistern" -- see this map). The fact that ergot is a fungus with powerful mind-altering effects (LSD is in fact derived from it) points back to topics discussed in this previous post on mushrooms (also used to produce altered states by cultures on continents separated by the largest oceans).

Clearly, the work being done by Linda Eneix, Miriam Kolar, and others who are researching the acoustic qualities of Hal-Saflieni, Chavín de Huántar, and other sites around the world, is beginning to shed light on a subject of incredible importance to humanity. We should all be grateful to them, and look forward to hearing more about these ancient soundwaves (and the impact they have on the mind) in the near future.

Largest solar storm in five years approaching fast!

Here is a link to a NASA page containing a video showing incredible imagery from the recent solar flare, which erupted when the earth was positioned at the 06 March to 07 March point in its orbit and turned such that it was about 1900 Eastern Standard Time on 06 March (which corresponds to about 0000 on 07 March for Greenwich or Universal Time).

According to NASA:

This flare was categorized as an X5.4, making it the second largest flare -- after an X6.9 on August 9, 2011 -- since the sun’s activity segued into a period of relatively low activity called solar minimum in early 2007. The current increase in the number of X-class flares is part of the sun’s normal 11-year solar cycle, during which activity on the sun ramps up to solar maximum, which is expected to peak in late 2013.

The NASA page goes on to say that shortly afterward, "at 8:14 PM ET, March 6, the same region let loose an X1.3 class flare. An X1 is 5 times smaller than an X5 flare." This Wikipedia page explains that the scale used measures flares in terms of Watts per square meter at peak flux as measured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, using letters A, B, C, M and X to indicate increasing ranges of intensity, with X indicating the highest.

The most amazing part of the video linked above is the visible shock wave that can be seen rippling across the surface of the sun. NASA tells us that these so-called "EIT waves" move at over a million miles per hour and can travel the entire breadth of the sun.

As most people have now heard on the news, these relatively intense solar flares triggered two corresponding coronal mass ejection (CMEs), which are now speeding towards the earth (and towards Mars, which is currently quite close to us in its orbit, as discussed in this blog post and in the blog posts describing the apparent retrograde motion that observers on earth perceive when earth passes by Mars on our inside track around the sun).

A coronal mass ejection consists of solar material streaming through the interplanetary medium (space), a form of plasma energy containing solar energy particles including protons, electrons, and ionized gases. When it impacts the earth's magnetosphere, these plasma streams will create magnetic storms with a variety of consequences on the electromagnetic spectrum on earth, including the possibility for visible aurora in the night sky.

The NASA site tells us that the CMEs are heading towards us at more than 600 miles per second, and this Wall Street Journal article explains that they should begin to arrive between 0100 and 0500 on Thursday 08 March (Eastern Standard Time, or between 0600 and 1100 Universal Time the same day). For observers on the west coast of North America, that means between 2200 this evening (07 March) and 0200 early Thursday morning (08 March) -- in other words, just a few hours from now!

As discussed in previous posts, while outer space was once thought to be empty (just a lot of "space"), it is now believed that it is actually full of powerful plasma flows. This page from hydroplate theory originator Dr. Walt Brown discusses the importance of plasma and notes that at least 99.9% of the matter in the visible universe is plasma. Previous posts discussing this important subject include "Across the (Electric) Universe" and "The important questions surrounding earth's radioactive isotopes."

Here is a link to a website dedicated to exploring some of the implications of "plasma cosmology" and the "plasma universe." Note that this website is also associated with the work of theorists such as David Talbott, who believe that Saturn, Mars and Venus once lined up much closer to earth than they are today, creating a dazzling (and plasma-charged) spectacle for observers on earth, which gave rise to most ancient mythology.

I have touched on this theory in the posts linked above, as well as in this post and in many of the message board conversations from my month as Graham Hancock's "Author of the Month" for January 2012 (convenient links to those conversations are provided here).

As I have briefly explained, while I believe that plasma science is extremely important and that there are many clues there which will certainly shed light on crucial questions about the geology of the earth and about ancient mythology, I do not agree with the planetary assertions of Mr. Talbott and his colleagues -- I believe that most of the ancient mythology they are discussing is much more coherently understood based upon the thesis proposed by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend in Hamlet's Mill (discussed extensively in previous posts, and also in my book itself). If those planets filled the sky in ancient times (a proposition which would be very difficult to explain under currently-understood laws of physics anyway) they would have drowned out the stars that mankind clearly observed with a high degree of accuracy at a very early period.

Nevertheless, while I think the speculations about an arrangement of an awe-inspiring alignment of Saturn, Venus and Mars are incorrect, I do acknowledge that plasma is extremely important -- in fact, the hydroplate theory shows that plasma discharge did play an important role in the events surrounding the flood, and thus it is quite possible that some of the other assertions about the connections between plasma science and ancient art (and some ancient legend) could be on the right track.

Some of my blog posts linked above discuss the ways that Dr. Walt Brown has shown that plasma phenomena on earth are connected to the events surrounding the global flood. He also shows that today's earthquakes are directly connected to the events surrounding that flood, and points to evidence of electric discharge prior to violent earthquakes to this day (some of that evidence is also discussed in this previous blog post).

Finally, the magnetosphere that protects us on earth from the most damaging effects posed by such solar ejections is also an important clue which appears to support Dr. Brown's theory. See for example the discussion entitled "The Origins of Earth's Powerful Magnetic Field" which is located about seven-eighths of the way down this page in the online version of his book which he makes available to all for their examination and consideration. For more on that subject, see also this previous post and this previous post on this blog.

The excitement surrounding the impending arrival of these solar disturbances can be the occasion to explore these fascinating and important topics. It can also be an occasion to get out and see if there are any beautiful auroral phenomena created in your part of the globe by these recent solar flares.

Mars' closest approach 2012

Mars made its closest pass by the earth today at about 12 noon Eastern (US) time, which was about 9am this morning for those of us on the west coast of North America.

Thus, observers on the side of the earth that was turned towards the sun (most of the western hemisphere) at that time would not be able to observe Mars at the moment of closest approach.

However, readers who have been following the posts in this blog about Mars and its retrograde motion (still underway) should have no problem locating the brilliant Red Planet in the constellation Leo. Previous posts on the subject have included "Mars retrograde motion for 2012" on January 27 and "Have you been watching retrograde Mars?" on February 15.

The moon is currently very close to the stars of Leo, and waxing towards a full moon on March 8, so it tends to drown out the constellation somewhat, but if you've been watching Mars over the past few nights (and as you can even see tonight, despite the moon's increasing glow), Mars has now moved dramatically retrograde in the direction of Regulus, as seen in the diagrams above.

Mars is always near its closest approach to earth when it is at "opposition" to earth from the sun, as this article from EarthSky explains (because opposition occurs when earth is between Mars and the sun, or when Mars is "opposite" to the sun from the earth, as happens once in a period of just over two earth years). However, due to the complexities caused by the fact that the planets orbit the sun on elliptical paths (with the ellipse of Mars being much more "eccentric" than that of earth), Mars actually reached true opposition on March 3rd and its closest point to earth (for its current lap around the sun) on March 5.

This excellent article from Professor Courtney Seligman on his website cseligman.com explains why the opposition of Mars takes place some days prior to the closest approach of Mars to our earth when Mars is on its way from its aphelion (furthest point in its orbit) to its perihelion (closest point in its orbit) -- as it is now -- and why the opposition of Mars takes place some days after its closest approach to earth when Mars is on its way from its perihelion towards its aphelion again.

After reading Professor Seligman's detailed explanation of the orbital mechanics of the two planets around the sun, you may also want to go back and review the earlier post entitled "The chariot race in Ben-Hur and the motion of the planets." Then, as soon as the earth is turned away from the sun and towards the planet Mars in your part of the globe, go out and marvel at the nearby planet Mars!