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Is Earth Moving Under Our Feet: Haiti, Chile and Taiwan? The Ring of Fire Recent events offer evidence that the ground beneath our feet is literally shifting and scientists as well as global market traders alike are noting the effects. First we had the Haiti earthquake back in January, then we had the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile last month, and now there appears to be yet another earthquake in southern Taiwan. The rash of tectonic movements around the Pacific "Ring of Fire" is heightening concern that Japan -- the most earthquake-prone country in the world -- is next in line for a major earthquake. Japan is bracing itself after dozens of rare giant oarfish -- traditionally the harbinger of a powerful earthquake -- have been washed ashore or caught in fishermen's nets. Taiwan Reports are coming in that a 6.4 earthquake has hit southern Taiwan. Government agencies report that injuries appear to be limited. Television images show damage to bridges and buildings. The quake knocked out power to over half a million customers and caused a fire in a textile factory. The Central Weather Bureau said that more than 120 aftershocks had been recorded since the quake occurred. Buildings in the country’s capital Taipei swayed for several minutes. The quake caused five fires, and six high-speed trains to suspend operations. Chile It's been only five days since a massive 8.8 earthquake hit Chile, causing severe damage near the epicentre that killed almost 800 people, destroyed 1.5 million houses and caused over USD 30 billion worth of damage. The earthquake was the seventh highest ever recorded. At magnitude 8.8, Chile's earthquake released almost 1,000 times more energy than the one in Haiti in January. NASA Scientist Richard Gross and his colleagues at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California have calculated that the recent Chile quake could have cut 1.26 microseconds off the length of a day. He found the Earth's axis has moved by around 3 inches during the 8.8 magnitude quake, shortening the length of the day. Chile lies along one of the most active parts of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the Nazca tectonic plate thrusts down beneath the South American plate. Over the past 40 years, the country has suffered a dozen quakes at least as powerful as the magnitude 7.0 in Haiti. The magnitude 9.5 Chilean earthquake in 1960 was the world's strongest of the 20th century. Haiti Last month, a devastating 7.0 earthquake hit the impoverished island nation of Haiti, killing over 200,000 people. It destroyed their already fragile infrastructure. Clusters: Are the Quakes connected? Are all the three recent earthquakes somewhat connected? When there is an unusually high number of big quakes in quick succession, scientists call them clusters. The US Geological Survey (USGS) says clusters happen after a large earthquake hits. That triggers a domino effect. The stress on the ground shifts, and a series of tremors soon follow. On January 12th, a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti. Then February 26th, a tremor of the same magnitude rattled Japan. The next day, February 27th, an 8.8 quake devastated Chile. Then on March 4th, Taiwan got hit with a 6.4 earthquake. Around the rim of the Pacific Ocean are many volcanoes. The rim of the Pacific Ocean also is the scene of much earthquake activity. These volcanoes are most typically found in the regions where subduction is taking place. The ring of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean is called the "Ring of Fire". The earth is doing what it always does. Adjusting the pressure on the tectonic plates. Japan The concerns about another earthquake in Japan have been further stoked by the unexplained appearance of oarfish, ryugu no tsukai, that are known traditionally as the messengers from the Sea God's Palace. The giant oarfish can grow up to five metres in length and are usually found at depths between 1,000 metres and 200 metres from the surface. Long and slender with a dorsal fin traversing the length of their bodies, the oarfish resemble a snake. In recent weeks, 10 specimens have been found either washed ashore or in fishing nets, all on the northern coast of Japan. According to traditional Japanese beliefs, the fish rise to the surface and beach themselves to warn of an impending earthquake. Some scientists suggest that bottom-dwelling fish may be susceptible to movements in seismic fault lines and act in uncharacteristic ways in advance of an earthquake. Where next in the "Ring of Fire"? [ENDS] We welcome your thoughts, observations and views. To reflect further on this, please respond within Twitter, Linked and Facebook's ATCA Open and related Socratic dialogue platform of HQR. All the best DK Matai Chairman and Founder: mi2g.net, ATCA, The Philanthropia, HQR, @G140 To connect directly with: . DK Matai: http://twitter.com/DKMatai . Open HQR: http://twitter.com/OpenHQR . ATCA Open: http://twitter.com/ . @G140: http://twitter.com/G140 . mi2g: http://twitter.com/intunit - ATCA, The Philanthropia, mi2g, HQR, @G140 -- This is an "ATCA Open, Philanthropia and HQR Socratic Dialogue." The "ATCA Open" network on LinkedIn and Facebook is for professionals interested in ATCA's original global aims, working with ATCA step-by-step across the world, or developing tools supporting ATCA's objectives to build a better world. The original ATCA -- Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance -- is a philanthropic expert initiative founded in 2001 to resolve complex global challenges through collective Socratic dialogue and joint executive action to build a wisdom based global economy. Adhering to the doctrine of non-violence, ATCA addresses asymmetric threats and social opportunities arising from climate chaos and the environment; radical poverty and microfinance; geo-politics and energy; organised crime & extremism; advanced technologies -- bio, info, nano, robo & AI; demographic skews and resource shortages; pandemics; financial systems and systemic risk; as well as transhumanism and ethics. Present membership of the original ATCA network is by invitation only and has over 5,000 distinguished members from over 120 countries: including 1,000 Parliamentarians; 1,500 Chairmen and CEOs of corporations; 1,000 Heads of NGOs; 750 Directors at Academic Centres of Excellence; 500 Inventors and Original thinkers; as well as 250 Editors-in-Chief of major media. The Philanthropia, founded in 2005, brings together over 1,000 leading individual and private philanthropists, family offices, foundations, private banks, non-governmental organisations and specialist advisors to address complex global challenges such as countering climate chaos, reducing radical poverty and developing global leadership for the younger generation through the appliance of science and technology, leveraging acumen and finance, as well as encouraging collaboration with a strong commitment to ethics. Philanthropia emphasises multi-faith spiritual values: introspection, healthy living and ecology. Philanthropia Targets: Countering climate chaos and carbon neutrality; Eliminating radical poverty -- through micro-credit schemes, empowerment of women and more responsible capitalism; Leadership for the Younger Generation; and Corporate and social responsibility. — with Prince Jhonoco, Steven Kelly Sillick, Be V Stratton-Proemper, Boby Eskandar, Gina Kim, Lynn McWhorter Calabresi, Max Speed, Princess Maya, Laura Boomer-Trent, Deepak Chopra, Emma Farr Rawlings, Tracy Marshall, Sumi Allen, Gypsey Montes, Douglas Ward Kelley, Richard Gerber, Alycia de Mesa, Peter Rothman, Rebecca Tozer, Richard Edward Harris, Judy Osmundson, Viscontessa Christie, Akhil Kumar Chaudhary, Patricia Hubner, Stephen Bogart LeBow, Sharon Sunness, Michelle-Jennifer Del Rosario Santos, Michael Buchanan, Deborah LaFreniere, Dove Daniel, Mari Geiger-Howiler, Mary Baxter, Mary Jasimone, Ushka Mrkusic, Gulrukh Khan, James Birthrong and Pramila Maheshwari. | Album:DK Matai's Photos Shared with:Custom |
