A powerful earthquake registering at 6.4 on the Richter scale rocked Southern California on July 5, but now an even more powerful, possibly city destroying, tremor is being forecasted. Self-proclaimed new-age earthquake researcher Frank Hoogerbeets believes “electromagnetic force” from the planets in the solar system and the Moon could cause a devastating tremor on Earth. The earthquake is being forecasted at some point next week – any time between July 8 and 11 – and Mr Hoogerbeets believes it could register as strongly as a magnitude eight.
The Dutch researcher wrote on his website Ditrianum: “From the 4th to the 6th is critical due to strong lunar geometry.
“From the 8th to the 11th will be exceptionally critical with the potential of a high 7 to 8+ magnitude earthquake.”
Anything above magnitude eight is considered a “great earthquake”, and can “totally destroy communities near the epicentre”, according to Michigan Tech.
The Dutch researcher reached his conclusion using his Solar System Geometry Index (SSGI) which “is the computation of a dataset for a specific time-frame of values given to specific geometric positions of the planets, the Moon and the Sun”.
He said: “After three years of observations, it became clear that some planetary geometry in the Solar System clearly tends to cause a seismic increase, while other geometry does not.”
But experts have dismissed Mr Hoogerbeets’ claims, saying that there is no way earthquakes can be predicted.
John Bellini, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey (USGS) has said: “We can’t predict or forecast earthquakes.
“Sometimes before a large earthquake you’ll have a foreshock or two, but we don’t know they’re foreshocks until the big one happens.”
However, many people will be on high alert after a powerful quake rocked California yesterday with the earthquake was so strong that residents saw their household items fall from the shelves.
One person said on earthquake-tracking website EMSC-CSEM: “Lots of swaying, we grabbed the antique bookcase to stay it.”
Another said: “It started out slow but went on for a good while as it got a bit stronger. We’re all ok, thank God!”
Another person described the trembling: “The house was shaking and the chandeliers started to sway. The pool also started making waves.”