The recent spate of earthquakes and volcanoes around the ring of fire suggest that earth changes are happening right before our eyes.

The cause is not exactly clear, and numerous theories have emerged. Some suggest we’re dealing with natural occurrences, while others have a more sinister undertone, pointing at man-made causes. In a recent article, Infowars.com offers five of the most popular reasons for why we may be experiencing earth shifting events at a more rapid and widespread pace.

Considering the sheer size of the planet, and the millions of variables at play, it is quite difficult to put one’s finger on exactly why things are happening. Could it be that today, more than ever before, we have the technology to detect and disseminate information about natural seismic events, making them that much more visible?

Or, are humans to blame, as several of the possibilities in the aforementioned article suggests? Climate change is one possibility, one that certainly can’t be denied as having instigated earth changes in the earth’s past. Maybe the global warming scientists are right, and polar ice cap melting has something to do with the flotation of the Earth’s crust. Fracking for natural gas, specifically in the area of the New Madrid Fault line could be responsible for the sudden increase in earthquakes in and around Arkansas – we’ve seen an increase from 39 earthquakes in 2009, to over 800 in the last year – and many believe it’s because fracking is causing cracks in the bed rock. Then, of course, there is the possibility of man’s direct  and conscious influence utilizing technological advancements like the HAARP array, which is claimed by the government to be a weather experiment, but has been identified as an electro-magnetic weapons system capable of producing seismic events.

Even before humans walked the earth, we cannot deny that the earth changed. Continents moved. Land masses froze and thawed. Species were wiped out and replaced by new lifeforms. Nature simply cannot be ignored. A variety of theories suggest that the cyclical nature of earth is to blame. Lunar and solar activity, namely the latter, may have profound implications for earth. Climate change scientists often blame humans for global warming, but it could very well be that the sun is discharging more energy, causing a variety of effects from melting ice caps to an expanding crust. Another possibility, considered fringe by ‘professionals,’ is the pole shift theory, which suggests that as the north and south poles move to new locations, the crust and magnetic fields move with it. Obviously, when entire land masses shift, there are going to be some seismic and volcanic changes.

Whatever the case, it is evident that there are more powerful earthquakes, happening more often now then ever before (at least since humans have kept accurate records in the last hundred or so years). Something is happening, whether cyclical, man-made or just random. One thing we’ve heard for years from seismic professionals is that earthquakes cannot be predicted. And perhaps they’re right, as it does seem quite difficult to predict exactly when and where the next “big one” is going to hit.

But one researcher, Jim Berkland, argues that while we can’t know for sure, we can look for natural signs that increase the likelihood of seismic events. He calls this a seismic window, and he’s used it to predict earthquakes for several decades, the most famous of which is his prediction of the “World Series Quake” which struck the Oakland/San Francisco area in 1989.

According to Berkland, the latest seismic window is now open, and California is the most likely target. While headlines as of late have suggested that California is the certain candidate, Berkland makes it clear that anywhere on the ring of fire, from Mexico to California to Japan, could be where the next one strikes.

We doubt any forecaster’s ability to predict exactly where and when a quake will occur. But the ability to identify specific natural phenomenon – like tides, lunar cycles, solar cycle, and animal behavior -  that have historically been followed by quakes seems to have merit. While we urge caution in believing every prediction out there, it is clear that there are some events that foreshadow the coming of quakes, and researchers like Jim Berkland seem to have a good grasp of those signs.