Conspiracy theories falsely blame Colombia earthquake on Alaska research program
An enduring conspiracy theory has resurfaced on social media after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Colombia on Monday, with users blaming a research program in Alaska for the disaster.
Posts falsely claim that the earthquake, which has killed at least 270 people and left widespread damage, was caused by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, which studies the properties and behavior of the upper atmosphere.
But the earthquake was caused by natural movements in the Earth's crust. Experts say it had nothing to do with human activities.
"No human endeavor caused this earthquake," said Suzan Van der Lee, a seismologist and professor at Northwestern University. "The Colombia earthquake occurred in a region with many natural earthquakes."
She said there are cases where human activity in shallow parts of the Earth's crust such as gas extraction or waste water injection has caused small- to moderate-magnitude earthquakes. But the earthquake in Colombia occurred at a depth of 110 kilometers — at least 10 times deeper than any caused by humans, Van der Lee noted.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/artic...07541.html
An enduring conspiracy theory has resurfaced on social media after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Colombia on Monday, with users blaming a research program in Alaska for the disaster.
Posts falsely claim that the earthquake, which has killed at least 270 people and left widespread damage, was caused by the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, which studies the properties and behavior of the upper atmosphere.
But the earthquake was caused by natural movements in the Earth's crust. Experts say it had nothing to do with human activities.
"No human endeavor caused this earthquake," said Suzan Van der Lee, a seismologist and professor at Northwestern University. "The Colombia earthquake occurred in a region with many natural earthquakes."
She said there are cases where human activity in shallow parts of the Earth's crust such as gas extraction or waste water injection has caused small- to moderate-magnitude earthquakes. But the earthquake in Colombia occurred at a depth of 110 kilometers — at least 10 times deeper than any caused by humans, Van der Lee noted.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/artic...07541.html
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
