It is time for another dose of "food for thought." A recent article on the web (from Monday, October 10, 2016) is titled 'Scientists in California just discovered a new type of earthquake.' The article on the Science Alert site, linked here, begins with these words: "Researchers in southern California have discovered a new type of earthquake that can occur a lot deeper than expected - more than 24 km (15 miles) deep, in Earth's upper mantle."
The Science Alert article goes on to speak about "our understanding of earthquakes." These words are linked to the following words -- "until now." The article also speaks about the 2012 Sumatran quake which "wasn't possible to explain...with existing science." This is some rather revealing information about the situation which exists within a certain segment of the scientific community.
Getting back to what has been called the "new type of earthquake," the Science Alert article states that "researchers know very little about this new type of deep earthquake..." The article states further that "this new type of earthquake can't be detected by traditional seismic sensors..." Furthermore, this supposedly new type of earthquake appears to hold the potential for being more destructive than the quakes which scientists have heretofore been predicting. In other words, the public has possibly not been told the real truth about the actual earthquake potentials and hazards along the Pacific region.
The Science Alert article states there is "evidence that there are some liquids flowing from the mantle up to the surface in the area" around Long Beach, California. Is there a potential that these "liquids" could be in the form of a mantle plume (link), or could include magma (link), or molten rock-forming materials? Is magma that very high temperature, "liquid" type of material which often comes out of volcanoes? But, there is possibly more to consider at this point, for nature has done some interesting things in the past...and what has happened before in one region could possibly happen again, even in other regions.
Is molten, high-temperature magma similar to that material which earlier spewed forth from large cracks which opened in the ground, in the area which is now Oregon and Washington? Is magma that "stuff" which flooded that region with flow after flow of these molten, rock-forming materials? In the Pacific Northwest, did these molten materials cover about a 63,000 square mile (160,000 square km) area? In places, does the Columbia River Lava Plateau reach "a thickness of more than 6,000 feet (1.8 km)(link)?" Did the superheated materials which spewed forth from the earth consume and bury virtually everything in their path in that region? Has this same thing happened elsewhere on this earth? Once again, is there a potential that this same thing could happen again?
For a moment, let us consider where basaltic magmas have flooded over other regions of this earth, with flow after consuming and burying flow. Looking at India, there are the Deccan Traps. In this region of India, the multiple flows of molten basalt covered over a very large area. Today, after erosion has removed some of the material, this basalt covers an area of about 193,051 square miles (500,000 square km). It is believed that originally the Deccan basalt flows covered over an area of 1.5 million square kilometers, or roughly 579,000 square miles (source).
Looking further, there are the Siberian Traps in Russia which today cover over an area of "about 2 million square kilometres, or about 770,000 square miles (source)." Then there are the Ethiopia-Yemen Continental Flood Basalts to consider. These basalt flows covered over an area of about 600,000 square kilometers, or about 232,000 square miles (source). In South America, there are the Parana-Etendeka traps. Here, the flood basalts buried an area of about 580,000 square miles, or about 1.5 million square kilometers (source). But, there is more to this story.
There is the Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) to consider. It is said to be "the Earth's largest continental large igneous province (link)." It, covered over an area of about 11 million square kilometers, or about 4.25 million square miles. The breaking up of the continents in earlier times left large remnants of the CAMP basalts in Africa and Europe, plus both North and South America. But, when looking at all this molten, superheated basalt which has flowed over the surface of the earth, there is more to consider.
It appears that extinction events have been associated with the large basalt flows on this earth (1) (2) (3) (4) (5). It appears that these large basalt flows snuffed out and consumed (incinerated?) all life which got in their way. When considering all the fiery magma which was flooding over regions of this earth, could a fitting description for the regions buried in such a manner be "a lake of fire?" There is now another question. What has happened before on this earth, is there any chance that it could happen again, at one scale or another?
At this point, there is much "food for thought." In the Science Alert article regarding what is happening beneath southern California, a USGS scientist declared: "It's worth further investigation, on multiple fronts, to look at what the physics of the Newport-Inglewood really are." But, there is something for the general public to seriously consider. How much time do we really have before something very devastating cuts loose in southern California? Could all that money the scientists want for their continual research be better spent in other ways, like for properly educating the public on how to best prepare for and survive a devastating earthquake or other geologic event, plus how to carry on and best recover in the aftermath?
When considering the subject of more money for the geoscientists and their research, it is important to consider certain opinions which are voiced within their community. Regarding just earthquakes, a webpage linked here states that "most seismologists say that being able to predict them will occur somewhere between the distant future and never." This appears to be their standard answer to earthquake prediction. So, a question must be asked. As a result of all that money given toward their research, are these scientists really helping to properly forewarn people of coming geologic disasters so that lives can be saved and property damage can be significantly reduced? If not, then why are we feeding them so much money every year to just research and research further?
The Science Alert article declares further: "Only time will tell if these new types of earthquakes can occur all over the planet..." From what is stated in the article, it appears that this earthquake "discovery" is going to change scientists' thinking on "how earthquakes and [the] Earth's mantle interact." So, it is time to, once again, consider a fundamental truth. It appears that the scientists do not have a complete grasp on what is happening, geologically, beneath the coastal state of California. Looking further north, it appears that this same type of situation may be in effect in the Cascadia region. This lack of understanding is what often gets people (sometimes, many people) injured or killed.
At this point, there is something to note. In his webpage titled 'Current Expectations for a Cascadia Mega-Quake,' your host for this blog presented some introductory information about earthquakes at the interface between the continental crust and the mantle, plus even directly within the mantle. This information was already presented some time ago. The information is found in the center column of the Cascadia page, under the sequential headings of 'Missing Factors' (link), 'A Few Clues' (link), 'Potential Location' (link), and 'Additional Information' (link).
Your host for this blog encourages people to check back often. He will do his best to research deeply and present the best, thought-provoking and informative material which he can find, as time allows. Possibly this information will be presented in this blog before the scientists and mainstream media haltingly admit more of the truth to the general public.
There is a fundamental truth, and that is this -- We, the general public, have a right to know the facts, because we, the general public, in most cases, do actually pay the salaries of the scientists. But, there is something which is rather disconcerting. The earth is changing and the scientists do not appear to have a true "handle" on what is coming. Therefore, at this time, let us look back to an earlier bit of wisdom about how things generally work.
More than one hundred years ago, the famous essayist, poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson declared: "We learn geology the morning after the earthquake, on ghastly diagrams of cloven mountains, upheaved plains, and the dry bed of the sea." In recent times, it appears that scientists may still be following after this same principle. It appears they are constantly learning about geology, after the fact, rather than before the devastating event which often injures and kills many people.
In closing, there is an old saying to consider. It is this: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." At this point, there is a question which must be asked.
Is there really such a thing as a new type of earthquake? The bottom line which the writer sees is this -- It is time to learn the true story which the earth is telling. The rocks of the earth do tell the story of that which has happened before, plus that which can readily happen again. Those with the proper ears to hear, let them hear and become properly prepared.
For further reading:
Current Expectations for a Cascadia Mega-Quake
https://cascadian.neocities.org/cascadiaquake.htm
