A prominent US geologist has warned that a powerful mega earthquake is due to strike the U.S. this weekend, due to the fact that a full moon this Friday is set to occur at the same time the San Andreas Fault is showing signs of earthquake activity.
Jim Berkland, a former US Geological Survey (USGS) scientist, once predicted the Loma Prieta quake, and has confirmed that mega quakes often occur during a new moon or full moon due to their gravitational effects on the Earth.
Berkland decided to go public with his latest fears following the eight recent earthquakes that struck along south Asia and the pacific over the last 80 hours.
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Express.co.uk reports:
Mr Berkland predicted on October 13, 1989, an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 to 6.0 would strike San Francisco within the next week.
Four days later on October 17 a magnitude 6.9 quake hit Loma Prieta in northern California.
He now says 20 of the world’s last 25 mega quakes have happened during new or full moons.
He is most concerned about the San Andreas Fault through California and the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which is further north along the coast of Oregon and Washington State.
He says both areas are long over due a so-called “Big One” earthquake and would likely cause devastating tsunamis to surge over the west coast if it happened.
He said: “Beware the new and full moons.”
He says this causes “equinoctal tides”, which are extreme gravitational forces that cause solid earth to expand and contract, in the way ocean tides rise and fall.
Mr Berkland studied geology at the University of California, Berkeley.
He worked for the United States Geological Survey, later acting as county geologist for Santa Clara County.
But he claims after his first prediction he was warned by government officials not to make any more for fear of mass panic.
In 2006 a book about him called The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes was published and he continues forewarning of tragedy on his website.
Mainstream scientists dispute his theories on what causes earthquakes.
But worryingly another self-styled earthquake predictor has also warned of a mega quake on Friday or Saturday.
Franks Hoogerbeets from the Netherlands, who has no science background, studies planetary alignments to predict when a quake might strike.
He released videos last month warning of a series of quakes in this part of April, culminating on the 22 or 23.
A night before the Japan and Philippines quakes last week he posted on Facebook to be wary of earthquake activity in both areas.
Sceptics say he just got lucky this time, as he has been out on previous predictions.
But all scientist agree the west coast US is long overdue a big quake.
