Is There Any Truth To The 2012 Doomsday

As the number of earthquakes, floods and hurricanes increases so does the awareness of 2012 doomsday prophecies. Solar flares, near earth objects passing within a moons distance of the planet and wide ranging temperature fluctuations have many people asking, "Is there any truth to the 2012 doomsday predictions?"

The Mayan Predictions

According to Mayan legends, the end of this cycle, interpreted by modern linguists as the "world," will occur on December 21, 2012, commonly called 2012 Doomsday. On this winter solstice day, the earth and moon will be in alignment with each other in the middle of the Milky Way. Scientists confirm that this unique astronomical event only occurs about once every 26,000 years. The Mayan calendar is very accurate. It is based on numerical cycles and the end of the current cycle will occur on December 21, 2012. The Mayans themselves interpret their legend differently than other cultures. The Mayans people do not believe that the end of the world as we know it, teotwawki, will occur. Their belief is that another calendar would have been created to replace this one ushering in a new cycle. However, this calendar was never created because of the arrival of the Europeans, which led to the demise of their culture.

Volcanism

There has been an increase in the occurrences of volcanic activity in the past couple of years. Even volcano's which have been dormant for centuries are erupting. The Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire has become quite active. Small underwater eruptions, and larger, unexpected activity of volcanoes on many of the island nations, including the Philippines, have scientists scrambling to provide answers.

Earthquakes

Many areas are prone to earthquake activity. The interesting part of 2012 Doomsday predictions is that they include global earthquake activity. In the past few years, earthquakes have occurred in regions that were considered earthquake free zones. New fault lines are being discovered and old ones are changing. While the magnitude of recent earthquakes has not been much higher than usual, the aftermath of unexpected quakes has proven to be difficult. The Chilean 8.8 magnitude earthquake on February 27, 2010 moved an entire city ten feet and shortened an earth day by a few milliseconds. Now more than ever before, being prepared and taking the necessary steps to provide for yourself and family during and after an earthquake is important.

Famine and Plague

With extreme weather comes poor harvests and the potential for outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Genetic modification of food crops has also been proven to allow genetic mutations of some insects allowing them to be less susceptible to poisons. Drought causes more difficulties as poor land management and over farming allows precious topsoil to be blown away the wind whips across rain-starved ground. Fire becomes another factor in the famine equation. As forests, fields and prairies dry up lightening and accidental ignition of the dry grasses cause wildfires. The smoke from these fires rises up into the atmosphere. When smoke accumulates in the atmosphere it causes the warming power of the sun to be bounced back into space. This can cause cooling in areas that are not used to such temperatures. These types of disturbances allow crop and human diseases to emerge and crop failures that lead to famine in areas that were once rich food crop regions.

No one can say for certain if the 2012 doomsday predictions will come to pass. Some believe that the predictions signal a change in the earth's surface while others believe it will be the end of human civilization. Preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best, is a good alternative to doing nothing to help ensure your survival during any type of emergency.