I’m issuing an Apocalypse Watch in regards to the recent activity on the surface of the sun.  While the odds are minimal of the collapse of this phenomenon causing a coronal mass ejection that has the correct trajectory to hit Earth, the risk is real.  The resulting electromagnetic pulse (EMP), could be sufficient to bring down the electrical grid.  Eventually we will be hit with a Coronal Mass Ejection big enough to do just that.  The last one happened in 1859 when there was no grid. 

Some say we are overdue for another event of similar or greater magnitude. 

When, not if, but when this life shattering event comes to pass you would be very lucky to get this amount of forwarning.  So take this casual warning for what it may truly be worth, because this is not the sort of thing you will find on the NBC Nightly News, this is the sort of thing that you learn about when you can’t turn your television on to watch the NBC Nightly News.

For most people in the developed or developing world, the grid coming down would mean an end to the world as we know it.  As such, I highly recommend monitoring this situation. 

Here is the latest update from spaceweather.com :

A dark magnetic filament more than 400,000 km long is snaking around the sun’s southeastern limb. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed it rotating into view during the early hours of Dec. 4th:

In this extreme ultraviolet image, blues and yellows trace million-degree gas in the sun’s atmosphere. Dense plasma bottled up inside the filament is about ten times cooler, so it appears dark in contrast to the hot atmosphere around it.

The arrival of the filament comes as no surprise. NASA’s STEREO-B spacecraft has been monitoring the filament for days as it approached the sun’s horizon from behind. So far the massive structure has hovered quietly above the stellar surface, showing no signs of instability. How long can the quiet last? Long filaments like this one have been known to collapse with explosive results when they hit the stellar surface below. Stay tuned!

This my friends would be a very good time to make sure your pantries are well stocked and to read up on the potential effects of EMP.  I recommend the novel One Second After by William Forstchen (despite the political taint). 

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UPDATE: Dec 7 2010 – The filament has exploded.  Click here to view a 4MB .gif file of the dramatic image.  Very cool!  But we still need to stay tuned to what’s happening on the surface of the sun.  We got lucky this time, if we were in the path of the blast this could have been lights out for months to years.

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In light of the recent seismic events I feel it is necessary to issue an alert for local Armageddons. 

Here’s why:

Jan 12, 2010 – Haitian Earthquake - magnitude 7.0  – estimated 230,000 deaths adn 300,000 injuries

Feb 27, 2010 – Chilean Earthquake – magnitude 8.8 – strong enough to cause standing waves on water to form nearly 5000 miles away.

April 4, 2010 - Baja California Earthquake – magnitude 7.2

April 6, 2010 – Northern Sumatra Earthquake – maginitude 7.7

April 11, 2010 – Solomon Islands Earthquake – magnitude 6.8

April 13, 2010 – Southern Quinghai Earthquake – magnitude 6.9

Source USGS

And finally the ongoing and currently increasing Icelandic Volcano eruption which has caused the largest peacetime disruption of travel for Europe ever.  This eruption is not only of note as an indicator of things going on in the bowels of the earth, but it is a risk in and of itself.  In 1783 the Icelandic Volcano Laki erupted and spewed a cloud of toxic gas over Europe which killed some 10,000 people.  Additionally, the volcano currently erupting, borders a much larger volcano, one that poses a much greater threat.  If subterrainian magma chambers were to connect the neighboring volcano could blow as well.  This could potentially shut down travel on a semi-global scale and significantly affect global climate.

Anyhow, this should be sufficient in and of itself to warrant taking some precautions, without getting into any of the freaky stuff going on right now, i.e. the Electric Man in Australia who spontaneously started fires or the massive meteor that just burned up the sky in the midwest.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out screaming THE END IS HERE in the streets…. Well, not because of this anyway.  But I do think we should take this as a rational reminder to get our stuff in order.  Making sure to have a month’s supply of food in the house at all times, which could really just be a big bag of rice and some cans of beans and a little salt stuffed under the bed or in the attic.  A flashlight and some spare batteries and thinking through your personal evacuation plan should it be necessary to get out of Dodge.  This is just good old fashioned prudence folks.  And you’re just being irresponsible if you’re not doing this.

Now, as far as the Zombie Apocalypse goes I don’t think it is very likely that seismic activity will play a major part in some bat shit crazy hollywood 2012 Movie style cataclysm.  Rather I think the most likely causes of the Apocalypse that we will be experiencing starting now and building over the next few years are:

1st: Economic, either a derivatives implosion or through a peak oil scenario, although they are not by any means mutually exclusive.

2nd: Electromagnetic, either from a major solar event or from an atmospherically detonated nuke (North Korea has this capacity already folks)

and 3rd: Biological.  This could be in the form of a Super Pandemic or of some runaway genetically engineered bacteria that nature has no checks for and ends up adversely altering our soil or atmosphere composition or just a major crop blight.  Really there are a lot of ways biology could end us rapidly, and we’re playing with fire by releasing these human crafted bugs into the fields.  What if a plastic eating bacteria emerged and consumed all our critical infrastructure? Ack!!!

Personally though, I’m not worried about Yellowstone, or even the more likely Long Valley Caldera Supervolcano erupting.  And I’m not worried about an asteroid colliding with the earth… can’t do much about that sort of stuff.  However, I did take one bit of advice from that goofy 2012 Movie and that is about building an Ark.  And I mean this metaphorically, not building a boat and putting livestock on it, but rather building a place and a community that can weather grid down scenarios over the long haul.  So think it through folks, and keep your chins up, it can be a fun exercise and you’ll find that working towards your personal Arks, your lifeboats, will get you out in the sun and feeling strong and healthy.

Cheers and be safe!  Especially if you live near a volcano or major fault!!!

IW

P.S. Here is a link to some FEMA information on how to prepare for an earthquake, there are some important tips here that you need to know if you’re in an earthquake prone area.