What's The Common Thread Running Through New York Quake, Eclipse And Trump? Answer Is...Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theorists are creeping out of the woodwork as New Yorkers try to find hidden meaning behind the rare earthquake that struck the eastern coast of the US.

To further encourage them, top US Republican and Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene even said that these were messages from god to ‘repent’.

“God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent. Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens,” the politician known for backing former US president Donald Trump said.

Perhaps, she may have noticed the epicentre of the earthquake is located just 11 kilometres from Trump’s Bedminster golf course. It is a coincidence that cannot be overlooked.

Some even pointed out that lightning struck the Statue Of Liberty, which was shaking due to the 4.6-magnitude earthquake on Friday, earlier in the week, saying that these are signs suggesting an impending ‘end of the world’.

To further fuel their speculations, North America is on the verge of another masking of the sun and the entire US is buzzing as they prepare to witness a total solar eclipse.

An estimated 44 million people live within the path of totality, with another couple hundred million within 320 kilometres, guaranteeing the continent’s biggest eclipse crowd ever.

Practically everyone on the continent will get to see a partial eclipse and a large section of people will witness the moon shroud the sun for up to 4 minutes, 28 seconds.

But excitement aside, some US conspiracy theorists are worried that the eclipse, the earthquake and the lightning that struck Madam Liberty are all connected even though science begs to differ.

Research exploring potential connections between eclipses and earthquakes suggest that heightened tidal stresses during a new moon, which is necessary for a solar eclipse, could marginally raise the chances of a major earthquake.

A 2016 study published in Nature Geoscience revealed that significant subduction zones exhibit high sensitivity to tidal variations. By analysing and simulating tidal fluctuations in the fortnight preceding major earthquakes such as those in Sumatra (2004), Chile (2010), and Tohoku (2011), researchers observed that seismic events often coincided with periods of maximum stress—typically during full or new moons.

However, the report underscores that these findings specifically pertain to earthquakes of considerable magnitude, implying that Friday’s earthquake in New York is unlikely to have been influenced by tidal effects.

Cicadas and Comets

During the total solar eclipse, those viewing may be able to spot a comet along with four planets, if they’re lucky. Jupiter will be to the left of the sun and Venus to the right. Saturn and Mars will be to the right of Venus, but fainter.

The solar system’s three other planets will be in the vicinity, but virtually impossible to see with the naked eye. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is swinging past Earth, as it does every 71 years.

This has led conspiracy theorists to believe that there indeed lies a message behind these events. Western superstitions often view comets as omens of disaster, war or political upheaval. Historically, they were associated with impending doom, such as the fall of empires or the death of rulers, leading to fear and anxiety among populations.

But, conspiracy theorists are not satisfied. A dual emergence of cicadas has them worried as conspiracy theorists with religious leaning are comparing them to swarms of locusts (cicadas and locusts are different insects). In the upcoming months, certain states will witness a rare natural phenomenon not seen in over two centuries: the simultaneous emergence of two distinct broods of cicadas.

After 13 years underground, Brood XIX is poised to surface in the spring of 2024 across 14 states spanning the Southeast and Midwest. Concurrently, the 17-year Brood XIII will emerge in five Midwestern states. This dual event marks the first occurrence in 221 years and is not expected to repeat until 2245, as reported by Cicada Mania and ScienceAlert.com, respectively, giving conspiracy theorists one more reason to interpret any message that mere mortals are unable to decipher.