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WILL THE SUPERMOON TRIGGER DISATSERS ON 19TH MARCH???

On March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. On top of that, it will be full. And one astrologer believes it could inflict massive damage on the planet.

Richard Nolle, a noted astrologer who runs the website astropro.com, has famously termed the upcoming full moon at lunar perigee (the closest approach during its orbit) an "extreme supermoon."

When the moon goes super-extreme, Nolle says, chaos will ensue: Huge storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can be expected to wreak havoc on Earth. (It should be noted that astrology is not a real science, but merely makes connections between astronomical and mystical events.)

But do we really need to start stocking survival shelters in preparation for the supermoon? [Photos: Our Changing Moon]

The question is not actually so crazy. In fact scientists have studied related scenarios for decades. Even under normal conditions, the moon is close enough to Earth to make its weighty presence felt: It causes the ebb and flow of the ocean tides.

The moon's gravity can even cause small but measureable ebbs and flows in the continents, called "land tides" or "solid Earth tides," too. The tides are greatest during full and new moons, when the sun and moon are aligned either on the same or opposite sides of the Earth.

According to John Vidale, a seismologist at the University of Washington in Seattle and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, particularly dramatic land and ocean tides do trigger earthquakes. "Both the moon and sun do stress the Earth a tiny bit, and when we look hard we can see a very small increase in tectonic activity when they're aligned," Vidale told Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to SPACE.com.

At times of full and new moons, "you see a less-than-1-percent increase in earthquake activity, and a slightlyhigher response in volcanoes."

The effect of tides on seismic activity is greatest in subduction zones such as the Pacific Northwest, where one tectonic plate is sliding under another. William Wilcock, another seismologist at the University of Washington, explained: "When you have a low tide, there's less water, so the pressure on the seafloor is smaller. That pressure is clamping the fault together, so when it's not there, it makes it easier for the fault to slip."

According to Wilcock, earthquake activity in subduction zones at low tides is 10 percent higher than at other times of the day, but he hasn't observed any correlations between earthquake activity and especially low tides at new and full moons. Vidale has observed only a very small correlation.

What about during a lunar perigee? Can we expect more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on March 19, when the full moon will be so close?

The moon's gravitational pull at lunarperigee, the scientists say, is not different enough from its pull at other times to significantly change the height of the tides and thus the likelihood of natural disasters. [Infographic: Phases of the Moon Explained]

"A lot of studies have been done on this kind of thing by USGS scientists and others," John Bellini, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, told Life's Little Mysteries. "They haven't found anything significant at all."

Vidale concurred. "Practically speaking, you'll never see any effect of lunar perigee," he said. "It's somewhere between 'It has no effect' and 'It's so small you don't see any effect.'"

The bottom line is, the upcoming supermoon won't cause a preponderance of earthquakes, although the idea isn't a crazy one.

"Earthquakes don't respond as much to the tides as you'd think they would. There should actually be more of an effect," said Vidale.

Most natural disasters have nothing to do with the moon at all. The Earth has a lot of pent up energy, and it releases it anytime the buildup gets too great. The supermoon probably won't push it past the tipping point, but we'll know for sure, one way or the other, by March 20.

This story was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site of SPACE.com.

Tags: DISASTERS, MOON, NATURAL, SUPERMOON

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Comment by Subliminal Writer on March 16, 2011 at 10:37am: Floods yesterday killed 200 people in perth western Australia, its gearing up!

Comment by Bevold on March 12, 2011 at 7:00pm: This is very worrying to me, since I have had a few things happen that has caused me to pack a bag with essentials. Here is a message I wrote down last year on 26th July 2010. Then in January I had a dream that I was going camping and had no bag to pack my things in. I woke with the urge to buy a bag and I packed it last night 12th March. A couple of weeks ago I was relating a message on the phone that someone else had received and part of it said "It Is Over". As I said those words they appeared on my sister's Television in the middle of an ABC show. She is no drama queen. In January I was asking God how plain should His warning be and at 3 a.m. I read Ezekiel 12:3 "Prepare for yourself an exile's baggage". I have reluctantly done so, praying that it will not come to pass. I am torn about speaking out, but here I am doing so. I cannot think about anything else. I am 70 and live in Australia. Jesus was crucified on the first full moon after the equinox (March/April)

which will fall on 19th March or 18th April. The Moon how the Passover is calculated and that is the time the Israelites fled from Egypt thousands of years ago. Here is the message:

"Whatever comes into they heart thou shalt do

And certain things may cause conflict within thy soul

But you shall know the direction in which you shall travel.

Follow the path that is shown to you

and believe that you are being led by someone higher than your intelligence.

Deep ravines reveal themselves and high mountains appear.

All who look beyond themselves shall see a way before them

A path shall be revealed, but not all shall perceive its way.

Crippled souls walk swiftly on and animals are led by those who love them.

Bitterness and sorrow break the spirit of many

But trials and hardship bring forth goodness that has been hidden for ages.

Many shall fall by the way,

But trials and tribulations are necessary for the judgement.

Yea though the souls of many are lost

there are some who are precious in the eyes of God

The trials that befall us all are just a glimpse of what we are,

And many are the sorrows of those who hide their face from truth.

Follow the path of light and goodness

And direct the mind and heart to the realm of satisfaction

that awaits those who feel the need to offer themselves

Unto the call of eternity."

Comment by Subliminal Writer on March 11, 2011 at 9:16pm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0hWbTFz4mA&tracker=False

Comment by Ted on March 11, 2011 at 9:25am: Very interesting, thanks for posting!!!! I love that picture of the moon, I wish I could take pictures like that.I'll certainly keep my sky pointing video cameras and recorder turned on, maybe we can get some UFO's or chem-trails in the night sky!!!

I don't remember anything catastrophic happening 18 years ago when this happened. I'll check the newspaper archives just to see. Whether it was a full moon we could see or, a dark moon, it was still near that same distance from the earth. I suspect that maybe my solar panels will produce more night time voltage because of the full moon. That should be starting now, I'll keep records on that just out of curiosity. I wonder what effect it will have on Lunatics? It's known full moons do influence some people, any cop can tell you that. Maybe we should check out the police blotters during this time too just to see.