As China goes through her troubles with another big quake I was wondering why the increase?
Is it because of the underground mining?
Is it the pumping out of much of the water and the oil destabilising the plates in certain places.
I remember seeing a photo some years ago from the early 1920's of a valley in the US where they had pumped out much of the water for irrigation and another photo taken 60 or so years later and the drop in the land was about the height of a telephone pole.
Is warming part of the problem.
It seemed strange that since the early 1900's there has been such a vast increase in quakes?
Why the increase in volcanic activity in recent times?
Dont you find a shifting earth strange? I do.
Is Sydney or Brisbane or anywhere in Australia ready for any quakes they might receive?

Hi Gibo

The current earthquakes are devastating. They are nothing however compared with the great tribulation that will come upon the earth. The devil is causing destruction as foretold by Jesus. Sadly the number of murdered unborn outnumber greatly those being killed by what many call 'mother earth'. Thankfully God has offered a better place for those who are humble enough to receive Christ as Lord, Healer and Deliverer. At best we are here for a few decades. This is nothing compared to eternity. Science will have different theories on what is happening while Jesus foretold accurately.

Gibo, can you provide any data that has indicated that earthquakes have become more frequent and/or more intense?

Ok, so here’s the response that you’d expect from old population-nutcase Ludwig……

It’s not the size or number of quakes, but the size of the global population, the number of people that are affected and hence the magnitude of the misery, that has increased.

Or at least, this is as big a factor as any increase in earthquake activity.

Earthquakes are only partly natural disasters.

"It seemed strange that since the early 1900's there has been such a vast increase in quakes?"

OOOOOOooooooow

and just as I am making references to Krakatua and its contribution to climate changes in 1883 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa) on another thread.

and we have Gibo pondering the influences of "GW" on Earthquake activity.

Maybe it is an Act of God (like the Insurance companies prefer to claim and avoid liability)

but maybe that Godly act is in retribution for the lustful ways of contemporary society?

Maybe if we sacrificed a virgin it would atone and Sodom and Gomorrah would be saved (these days, substitute LA And SF - they are both on the San Andreas fault line and overdue for damnation, apart from the names the salacious practices are pretty much the same too).

Near Iceland there is a series of islands which keep growing and have done so for the past 40 years or so.

But somehow, I figure no amount of oil or water exploration or GW has got much chance on influencing the genteel shift in techtonic plates.

Exactly Runner.
Many more earthquakes are yet to come.
Ive seen graphs and charts over the last 25 years, mainly in christian articles, and they do show the increase spoken about in Luke chapter 21 and Matthew chapter 24.
Ive yet to figure out why it is so, why there is this increase.
I know we've been doing a lot of mining and much water and oil extraction but the real reason; and there has to be one, elludes me.
Perhaps my thoughts might run along a spiritual line, a christians' awareness of spiritual laws regarding sin, that suggests that the more sin increases, the more what was once a Perfect Creation reacts to it.
This will, of course, not be a satisfactory suggestion for the "early apeman/Charlie Darwin" people but it could fit the Bibles description of spirtual laws and the breaching of those laws...i.e. sowing and reaping.
What we plant one way or the other regarding each other and our caring for Creation, pops up.
You mentioned abortion, millions of children sacrificed.
Then theres the idolatry, sexual immorality, the mocking of Gods Word, the great falling away from Christianity, the alcohol, the drugs, the greed, the violence man to man... and so sin mounts upon sin.
All of these sins have increased as populations have grown since the early 1900's...and on a parralel line so have the earth movements.
Ludwig.
I clicked on increase in earthquakes 1900 to 2008. Theres material on those sites. heavenawaits had an interesting chart. Theres stuff on the increase all over the place.

While I agree that the shifting tectonic plates are responsible, I think that, as more and more oil is pumped to the surface, the natural lubricant beneath the plates is being diminished. This must lead to more friction and, in turn, more heat, therefore more volcanic activity.

It's certainly not a supernatural issue as proposed by runner.