An Australian astronomer now based at the University of Toronto has publicly debunked a warning by a Dutch "mystic" that planetary influences would cause a devastating earthquake over the Christmas Weekend.
Frank Hoogerbeets, a self-proclaimed mystic and earthquake expert has been operating the popular Ditranium site since 2002 and also has as a YouTube channel for thousands of subscribers. Using what he terms the Solar System Geometry Index, Hoogerbeets claims to be able to predict earthquakes and other geological disasters. Intended to measure the relative positions of the Earth, Moon, Sun, and the other planets, the index is based on Hoogerbeets' belief that electromagnetic waves shaped by planetary geometry can trigger seismic shifts.
Based on his calculations, Hoogerbeets insists that an earthquake measuring a "high seven to eight magnitude" will occur between December 21 and 25. While he maintains that his calculations cannot be used to determine where the earthquake will strike, he credits himself with successfully predicting a number of previous earthquakes. This includes the recent Alaskan quake which, along with the Indonesian earthquake which preceded it. Both of which Hoogerbeets claims were caused by the gravitational pull exerted by Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Mars on Earth. It is this "seismic unrest" that he predicts will lead to the December earthquake later this year.
Though seismologists have routinely debunked Hoogerbeets's predictions, his numerous fans, many of whom believe that his credentials as a seismology are legitimate, express worry over the coming disaster. But in a recent statement, Professor Bryan Gaessler has publicly maintained that planetary alignment has no effect on earthquakes.
This is hardly the first time that astronomers have clashed with Hoogerbeets. Following a 2015 prediction of an impending earthquake with a 9.8 magnitude, popular astronomer Phil Plait also insisted that the prediction had no merit. 'The maximum combined gravity of all the planets under ideal conditions is still far less than the gravitational influence of the moon on the Earth," Professor Plait pointed out. "and the moon at very best has an extremely weak influence on earthquakes."
Whether or not an earthquake actually occurs, the continual rumblings that occur regularly around the world will likely be seized on by Hoogerbeets and his followers as proof of his claims. But Hoogerbeets isn't the only only claiming impending doom. Manny doomsday believers maintain that the rise in recent earthquakes are heralding the coming of the rogue planet Nibiru (also known as Planet X). While astronomers remain just as skeptical about these claims, believers remain convinced that the devastation which this planet will cause following either a collision or near-miss will be happening sooner rather than later.
For now, at least, there is no valid way of predicting where or when an earthquake will occur though doomsday prognosticators continue to generate headlines.
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