Mercury, Earth, Venus, Neptune and the Sun began lining up in the solar system on Monday, March 25, and the ensuing gravitational pull on our planet could cause a major earthquake. This is because the pull of the planets is having a tug-of-war effect on Earth, causing tension to build within the tectonic plates. The earthquake forecast was made by new-age earthquake researcher Frank Hoogerbeets on his website Ditrianum.
Mr Hoogerbeets believes a powerful earthquake is due in the coming days, and it could register at magnitude eight on the Richter scale.
Anything above an eight is considered a “great earthquake” and “can totally destroy communities near the epicentre”, according to the forecaster, Michigan Tech.
Mr Hoogerbeets’s website said: “Exceptionally critical planetary and lunar geometry on March 24, 25 and 26 may trigger large to mega-thrust seismic activity from the 25th to the 30th whereby the most critical days will be March 28, 29 and 30.
“A mid to high 7 magnitude earthquake may occur in this time-frame, but it could very well go over 8 magnitude or worse.”
Mr Hoogerbeets made the prediction 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 added: “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, there is some suggestion that Mr Hoogerbeets did correctly predict the powerful 7.3 magnitude quake which hit on March 1 in Peru.
He wrote on his website prior to the quake: “Specific lunar geometry today could cause some seismic increase in the next two days, possibly into the 6 magnitude range.”
Following the quake, which was actually stronger than Mr Hoogerbeets had predicted, he said: “A quake watch was in effect on February 28 and March 1 because of critical lunar geometry on February 27, as discussed.”
But it is likely to be a coincidence, as Peru is prone to earthquakes as the South American nation sits upon the dreaded Ring of Fire.
The Ring of Fire is the largest and most active fault line in the world, stretching from New Zealand, all around the east coast of Asia, over to Canada and the USA and all the way down to the southern tip of South America and causes more than 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes.
Experts know that the Ring of Fire has to potential to unleash some catastrophic quakes.