Comments on: Earthquakes, volcanos, and Nibiru, oh my

By: Sue Mitchell

Sue Mitchell — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:39:31 +0000

And they didn’t even mention the Great Market Rasen Earthquake* of 27th February, 2008.

I feel quite put out. ::pout::

*That’s The Big One that registered a massive 5.2 on the Richter Scale, which hit Lincolnshire, England.
–

By: Celtic_Evolution

Celtic_Evolution — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:03:05 +0000

I had the same immediate reaction, quasidog… but I took BA’s initial sarcasm into account and then decided to read some of the other content on Greg’s blog just to be sure. It was pretty clear almost immediately after reading a few of his other posts that sarcasm was the delivery mechanism in this case. But I can certainly see why one might not have gotten that imression right away.

By: quasidog

quasidog — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:48:07 +0000

My mistake then. Noted. With so much to read and so much to avoid reading, the first couple of sentences can really make an impact on whether to continue reading. ;p

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:14:58 +0000

Yes, Greg was being sarcastic. He writes one of the best skeptical blogs on the web.

By: jest

jest — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:25:31 +0000

I think it’s important to note that geology is the study of pressure and time. And since we can’t always see the pressure or measure the time, we can’t always predict when an earthquake is going to happen, and where. Sure, we’re getting “better” at figuring out where the high stress areas are, and how the crustal plates interact, but until we have a thorough understanding of how earthquakes can be predicted, the WOO-WOO’s out there are going to be able to use them as part of their schemes.

“OOOOooohhh.. an earthquake happened where we didn’t expect one, or didn’t think one was due. Here comes Nibiru!”

By: CR

CR — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:31:56 +0000

IIRC = If I Recall Correctly

By: CR

CR — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:31:24 +0000

I think Greg Laden was being sarcastic in his first couple of lines. Sarcasm doesn’t always translate well in the typewritten bolg-o-sphere. (Apparently not on YouTube, either, as so many commenters there just don’t seem to ‘get it.’ But hey, do we really need to discuss YouTube commenters?)

Back when Mt St Helens blew itself apart (1980), a schoolmate & I discussed how big a disaster we would have if all three of the Three Sisters went up at once. Like Mt St Helens wasn’t big enough. (Insert roll-eyes emoticon here.) To be sure, it would be a big disaster, but the end of the world? Nope, not even close.
Back to the here-and-now… Earthquakes & volcanic eruptions occurring at different places throughout the world, where they normally occur all the time? Ooo, the end of the world?

Nope, not even close.