End of the World ~2012

[PRBuzz]

Mother Nature will rule in the end no matter what humans think, say, do or don't do. Could the recent stretching pains the Earth is undergoing (Haiti, Cuba, Chili, Japan, and now Iceland) be the beginning of the the End?

Iceland volcano could have world consequences
1783 eruption changed weather patterns, sent poisoned air to British Isles

REYKJAVIK, Iceland - Blasts of lava and ash shot out of a volcano in southern Iceland on Monday and small tremors rocked the ground, a surge in activity that raised fears of a larger explosion at the nearby Katla volcano.

Like earthquakes, predicting the timing of volcanic eruptions is an imprecise science. An eruption at the Katla volcano could be disastrous, however — both for Iceland and other nations.

Iceland's Laki volcano erupted in 1783, freeing gases that turned into smog. The smog floated across the Jet Stream, changing weather patterns. Many died from gas poisoning in the British Isles. Crop production fell in western Europe. Famine spread. Some even linked the eruption, which helped fuel famine, to the French Revolution. Painters in the 18th century illustrated fiery sunsets in their works.

The winter of 1784 was also one of the longest and coldest on record in North America. New England reported a record stretch of below-zero temperatures and New Jersey reported record snow accumulation. The Mississippi River also reportedly froze in New Orleans.

"I've stated many times to my co-workers while trying to understand the genetic code, that Mother Nature's a real bitch!".

[Raven]

saw a show today explaining where all the heavy metal came from originally

and the theory postulated is that our Earth's interior core
is similar to a nuclear reactor...

these cores (@ nuke plants) we keep cool and stable with constant monitoring
of temperatures and water

...but the earth is a self regulating
reactor.... and it may have to blow chunks
once in awhile every 230 years or so to do just that...

there is a reason all the real old brick buildings down south
are bolted together and thats because of a HUGE quake
that 2/3 rds of All American's felt back in the 1800's

[FishermanTim]

Here's an interesting hypothesis regarding increased earthquake activity as of late:

Since the prescribed method of drilling/extracting oil is to pump the oil out, and since the general practice is to pump water down to force the oil up, if the oil's viscosity is naturally greater than that of water, wouldn't water tend to heat up much faster and more explosively under pressure?
And since water is more fluid than oil, it would lead me to believe that it would seep down to the lowest level possible, thus increasing the possibility of increased heat and pressure build up.

Picture that an engine's radiator has a "coolant" added so that it can handle and dissapate the heat most effectively, and if there was nothing but water, wouldn't it tend to heat up faster and lead to more "overheating" episiodes?

Replacing the oil with water under the earth's crust could be similar in effect, and could lead to these "pressure-cooker" explosive earthquakes we've seen.

Keep in mind that this is just speculation, but it caught me off guard when my friend asked me what I thought.