The earth is in a dynamic state and small changes to either the atmosphere or the oceans or water on or under the earth’s surface spur big changes to the earth’s crust. Put more plainly, moving large amounts of water from one place to another can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This is the theory advanced (and it is ever more widely accepted) by Bill McGuire in his book Waking The Giant.
In California, the current drought is threatening over one-hundred thousand wells. It is a real possibility that many of these wells may go dry (as many already have) because of the record loss of water from aquifers. How much water is being pumped out of aquifers during the drought? a huge amount. NASA puts it at four trillion gallons per year,for each of the last three years, or 96 trillion pounds of mass moved out of the central valley aquifer. This is enough mass transfer to cause plate rebound (the mountains of California are rising more rapidly during the drought because of this phenomenon). It is also enough mass transfer to qualify for a destabilization of the dynamic state of California faults under the theory of Bill McGuire.
For those who study the Bible and in particular, those who study end-time prophecy, the potential for a California earthquake in this context is striking. What we see here is nothing less than the accelerating decline of earth systems (cryosphere, atmosphere, oceanic) which has set up a mega-drought in California, which is setting up the conditions for what may be a very large earthquake indeed. So, following the thread, we see the accelerating impact of sin on the earth itself, which increasingly degrades the systems God put in place to sustain life on His earth, which causes sinful human society to unsustainably pump truly massive amounts of water from underground, which may or may not spur a significant earthquake.
Now, lets juxtapose that chain of events with what Christ said would happen in the days just before His return. From Matthew 24:6-8: 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all[a] these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,[b] and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
So, we’ll see massive disruptions in human society: wars – here and growing fast. Rumors of wars – here and growing. Famines – here and growing. Pestilences – here and growing. Earthquakes in various places – we have not seen a huge increase in this area yet. But we soon will. Will it come from disruptions in the pressure on the earth’s crust that disturb the dynamic state of the earth? Maybe. Keep watching and keep working. And get out of the cities.
Scott Christiansen
