I sent Elder Mike an email yesterday as I was concerned about aftermaths to the earthquakes in the Philippines.
He was pretty shaken up, but fortunately he is OK. He did have problems getting his comments posted by WordPress.
Fortunately, he is well and busy.
God bless everybody
Patty
Solar activity is at maximum, in it’s maximum, according to the 11 year cycle, but sunspot activity is very low. If you look at longer range sunspot history, you will find that there is a longer cycle at play, and according to at least some observers, we are in a Grand Solar Minimum, so even the peaks of the 11 year cycle are not very high. What does this have to do with our friend Elder Mike?
Everything! No, Mike is not master of the solar cycles, or anything like that, but the magnetic field of the sun envelops the solar system and protects the earth from cosmic radiation. It is believed that cosmic radiation “heats up” the magma, deep in the earth, and this increases volcanic activity and, you guessed it, earthquakes. The “big ones”, felt in the Philippines, coincided with a massive “coronal hole” when it was facing the earth. Coronal hole = less solar radiation = more opportunity for cosmic radiation to heat up the magma, and it just so happened to occur in Elder Mike’s neck of the woods. So yes, by this reasoning, the low level of sunspots and other energetic solar activity has had a direct impact upon Elder Mike.
What is the answer? Well, there isn’t one, except that our earth is no longer in the blessed state it was in before sin entered the world. When our Maker finished His work, he pronounced that it was “very good”, but this is no longer the case, and our world has its share of problems. Fortunately, we have a blessed hope of restoration, which will bring all lf creation back into alignment with its Creator, but until that day, we live on a planet where some not so nice events occur, from time to time. Let’s hope and pray that Elder Mike has some much deserved peace and quiet for the foreseeable future.
Absolutely fascinating. The Earth is not a quiet place. I am so glad I do not live in one of the earthquake-prone areas. Patty
Likewise. I’ve lived in tornado prone areas, to the point that a tornado struck my parents yard and knocked down the frame of a shed my father was building, while we were out of town for the day, so we missed the real excitement. But overall, beyond cold northern tier winters and harsh southern desert heat, it’s been pretty tame where I’ve lived. Only one very minor earthquake, under my belt, and that’s more than enough to satisfy me.
I actually miss winters. We have winter here, but it’s mostly dry, with chilly winds. I could do with being snowed in, from time to time.
We do have snow here in New Jersey, but usually not so much to keep us snowed in. Some snow is nice, quiet and restful. Patty
I liked the snow we had in Colorado. You could be snowed in for a day by an overnight storm dropping a literal foot of snow overnight. Then, a day later, the Chinook Winds would arrive and you might be shoveling out in shorts, a T shirt and flip flop sandals. How do I know? Because I’ve actually done that. 🙂
No matter where we are, there seems to be something.
My closest encounter with a tornado was, ironically, in downtown Denver, when a huge funnel cloud passed over downtown, but touched down farther east. It was a massive, massive tornado, and quite the news event, circa 1987.
Here in the relatively peaceful desert, I’ve seen temps of 118 F at my home and 125 F 40 miles west from here. It’s not dangerous in the way a tornado or earthquake is, but prolonged exposure to direct sunlight in such weather can be dangerous, or even lethal. It’s not uncommon to hear of people dying of exposure, pretty much every summer, although in some cases, it is the result of deliberate criminal intent.
Heat exhaustion and even heat stroke are real possibilities here, and wisdom dictates that you carry water or iced tea during the warm months.
But cold can kill you, and do so quite efficiently. Those winters in the upper midwest could be unbelievably harsh at times. For anyone who has never experienced -31 F, it’s hard to explain, but couple some wind chill into those temps and you can be shivering within a few seconds of exposure.
New Jersey is quite temperate, but we have a little bit of everything. Patty
The moderate and variable climate of Denver was to my liking. If the place wasn’t so crowded and expensive, I’d be there right now.
Wow, a whole post all about me! You can donate to me at “Go Fund Me” … Just kidding, I’m doing okay, no need of additional funds. Thank you all.
I’m not sure the reason, solar activity, or whatever it is, during the last few months it seems, I’ve felt more quakes then the previous fifteen years I’ve lived here. Last night there was another slight quake, and Saturday evening, a very strong one hit our town. And as I was writing this, I could feel a bit of shaking. As far as I know, no damage occurred. And if no damage occurs during a quake, it’s over, and life just goes on like nothing happened. However, they did close some of the schools, assessing for damage.
About four weeks ago, on the nearby island of Cebu, a 6.9 quake struck a major city, Cebu City. We didn’t feel it here. But it did a lot of damage. A lot of buildings collapsed and a few bridges, and many roads were damaged. I don’t know the death toll.
Now, our quake was 7.6 and not a lot of damage occurred. Two years ago, another 7.6 quake struck our area, and we were only 10 miles from the epicenter. And my American friend’s resort was ground zero. His resort is a small island, about the size of four or five football fields, which sits in the middle of a bay about a mile from shore. Everything stayed in one piece, however, his long pier had to be repaired and so did some of the buildings. The water in the bay did recede about three or four feet, but there were no large waves that struck his place.
For us here, the 6.0 to 6.8 quakes have never caused major damage. Even when we were close to the epicenter. How close someone is to the epicenter, is one of the factors in determining the damage the quake will cause. Also, the depth of the quake, and the land, the subsurface, what lies under the ground built upon. And the buildings themselves, how well were they constructed to withstand quakes, these and a few other factors will determine your fate.
And during our last strong quake, just like in the movie, “2012,” when someone says, after a huge crack formed in the road. “We’d got to move back to Wisconsin.” I thought about that very thing.
I’ve lived in Wisconsin, and close to places tornadoes have struck. One, called the “Barnaville tornado” was a destructive F5 that struck Barneveld, Wisconsin in the middle of the night June 8, 1984, there was no warning. The tornado was about a quarter-mile wide and had wind speeds estimated between 261 and 300 mph. It caused widespread devastation, destroying about 90% of the town, killing nine people, and injuring over 200. The water tower, battered, but upright, was about the only thing left standing.
When I was a teenager we had at least one tornado strike a mile from our house in Milwaukee. There were warning sirens. Then, we watched the western sky turn a sickening greenish color, the wind ceased, and then waiting, is it coming our way? We never saw it, although it touched down a short distance away. The next day we drove over to see the damage. Not much, just a number of garages that had collapsed.
So, is facing a possible tornado that can wipe out your town, or an earthquake that can cause almost the same kind of damage, better? King David, because of his sin, God sent the prophet Gad to him with the choice of three punishments. David let God chose. Well, because I choose to live here, I guess that means, earthquakes, it is for me.
However, in the Philippines there are usually several tornadoes every year. But they are often smaller and less damaging than those in the United States. And those that do form, are during severe thunderstorms and within some typhoons. And they usually form in flat, open areas rather than densely populated cities.
As I was searching the information about tornadoes in the Philippines, I came across a short video of one that occurred not far from here back in June. It looked like a dust devil, traveling down a road, not causing much damage.
Tis true brother, we live on a planet where some not so nice events occur, from time to time. Yes, lets pray, that we who live on the Ring of Fire, do have a bit more peace and quiet for the foreseeable future. Pray for quiet … before last nights’ minor quake, there was a loud crash from somewhere in the distance, that came in the stillness of the night, and then I felt the tremor.
Yes, I really do miss being snowed in, when the whole city stopped moving, but that only happened a few times when I lived in Milwaukee. But not the long long winters that last for months, and spring that never seemed to arrive. In Milwaukee it can start snowing in November, and in May, a few inches have been known to fall. One time, the last week in May, I was cleaning out the leaves from under my bushes in my yard, and the ground was still frozen.
No winter or real cold here.
Very glad you are all OK, Mike. A little bit of that kind of weather goes a long way. Patty