Michio Kaku Warns 5 Cities Of Enormous Pending Earthquakes (VIDEO)

Physicist and author of "Physics of the Future" Michio Kaku warned world citizens this morning on Good Morning America about the pending threat of enormous earthquakes.

"In our life time, we could very well see one of these cities destroyed," Kaku said. "Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, Tehran, Tokyo."

Kaku pointed to changes in the physical structures of human civilization, and how the new composure poses many risks. "We are creating mega cities where there used to be fishing villages," he said.

About the many disasters this year, he said: "Well, look at the Chilean earthquake. You realize it was so big it actually rocked the planet earth. The axis of the earth shifted 3 inches as a result of that 8.8 earthquake. The day is no longer 24 hours, it's been shortened by one micro-second, That's how big that earthquake was."

What else did the author warn viewers about?

WATCH:

Comments

[sf omega man]

02:04 AM on 01/06/2011

Michio Kaku... did you finally rent 2012? You little scamp. All y'all's cities got destroyed in that there flick.

Now put Armageddon, Deep Impact, Independence Day, and The Stand on your Netflix.

Of course an earthquake could strike any of those cities you mentioned, but they strike all the time, including unpopulated areas and deep undersea. It would be in the scientific and public interest for you to discuss the scientific underpinnings of your predictions for others to evaluate, instead of self-serving grandiose statements that get you, well, face time on camera.

[dmezz1962]

01:41 AM on 01/06/2011

With any luck San Fran will just drop into the ocean.

[sf omega man]

02:06 AM on 01/06/2011

you mean like that island in "Lost"? Dude, that was a way cool TV show. If that happens I got dibs on "Smoke Monster". dude.

[cargofuzz]

09:39 PM on 01/05/2011

Great. I already wasn't able to get everything done in one day and now it's a micro-second shorter.

Seriously though, we can't possibly think there won't be several major earthquakes over the next 100 years or sooner. 8.8 is pretty darn strong.

[Maverickpower]

08:56 PM on 01/05/2011

The Sky is falling , er no , the skyscrapers are falling, silly humans

[whyus]

08:36 PM on 01/03/2011

We never stay in a hotel room higher than the 3rd or 4th floor.

[pierre F Lherisson]

02:01 PM on 01/03/2011

Megalopolis such as Mexico City with 21 million, Tokyo with 13 million, Los Angeles with 10 million, NYC with 8.4 million, Tehran with 8 million and San Francisco who is not in the league of those big cities has only 816 thousand people. Any major earthquake in anyone of those cities will be a catastrophe of the first magnitude especially for those that live in High-rise Buildings. The construction of High-rise Buildings should have been illegal in earthquake prone zones such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and other because there is no way the rescue workers could save the lives of the people that live in such buildings. The 911 carnage and the January 12th 2010 earthquake in Haiti are example of such tragedy. People should avoid living in High-rise Buildings even if the rent is free there.
http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/wo/
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/nature/news-awesome-destructive-power-shifting-plates
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/most_destructive.php
http://www.livescience.com/environment/080821-new-york-earthquakes.html

[ThePlague]

10:34 AM on 01/03/2011

Interesting. But with all due respect to Dr. Kaku, where is supersymmetry? Proton Decay? Cosmic super-strings? In fact, where is one darn prediction coming true for string theory? I'd be a bit more concerned about his geological predictions were string theory on a firmer footing, compared to say, loop quantum gravity, which, IMO, it is not.

[HerodotusWept]

10:08 AM on 01/05/2011

You do understand that String Theory and Geology are two separate fields of science, right? One of which has always been highly speculative and the other is quite a strong and supported scince?

You comment is like saying "Well I understand that dumping industrial pollution into rivers and streams might be a bad thing, but where are all the nanomachines? Obviously I can now pollute all I want."

[LynneSpreen]

09:50 AM on 01/03/2011

Geez, like I needed to see this. Other than packing my barrel with a bunch of supplies, I'm not going to think about it. What can you do but give yourself a heart attack?
http://anyshinything.com/2010/12/30/30-years-of-journals-and-what-did-i-write-about-dieting/

[kansasmagic]

03:23 AM on 01/03/2011

When I was looking into graduate schools (the first time), my choices came down to UCLA and Oklahoma. While visiting the area around OU, my guide pointed out the tracks still evident from a massive tornado that had passed through ~6 months beforehand. I grew up in Kansas, and figured that Oklahoma (at least weather-wise) was just like Kansas, only more so, and so I went to UCLA. I experienced my first earthquake (only a 4.2, but big enough!) on September 10th, 2001. I will never forget that: I was awakened about 6 the next morning by the phone. I thought it was probably my mom calling to ask about the earthquake; instead it was my mom saying that my uncle (who lives in New York) was fine, and so forth...

I never had much concern for "the big one," for a few reasons. Growing up in tornado alley, I already had some experience with a different kind of "big one." (For several months after moving, I was often asked if "the tornadoes are really that bad.") I had great faith that planners and builders in California anticipated sizable quakes, and designed buildings accordingly. I also assumed that several small quakes in close succession are a good thing, because they release built up stress over time, rather than in one big tectonic shift. I may be wrong on my geology on the last point, but it made me feel better!

[LynneSpreen]

09:53 AM on 01/03/2011

I wish I had your faith, but I don't believe the planners and builders thought about it until very recently, and there are a lot of old buildings in the big cities of California. I live in a blue-collar suburb of LA and San Diego, and while I feel like we won't be hit by a falling skyscraper, I also worry that our emergency services will be diverted to the big cities nearby. Cheery thoughts!
http://anyshinything.com/2010/12/30/30-years-of-journals-and-what-did-i-write-about-dieting/

[Cory111]

10:12 AM on 01/03/2011

Hello Lynne and greetings from San Felipe, Baja.

Many Southern Californians suffers from “Terminal Uniqueness” as in “It will not happen to me.” I had my business in the L.A. area for quite a few years. I was at the “Epicenter” of the Whittier Narrows quake in the RV Park when it hit. I was watching the morning news and can still see Kent Shotnick (sp) diving under the desk. How many women wear high heel shoes at work, many. When the big one hit’s freeways will become massive parking lots, walking will be their only out.
How many actually have emergency supplies not only at home but in their cars?
It’s coming; it’s just a matter of when.

[goboinouterspace]

11:55 AM on 01/04/2011

Are you kidding me? I live in a major city that is on a fault line, and it has only been in the past twenty years that we have reinforced our bridges (and only interstate bridges, mind you). Nothing has been done about any of the skyscrapers built over the past century, many of which have been refurbished from office buildings to apartments. Why do planners and builders care if a building collapses twenty or thirty years down the road? They already have their money. They don't care. If you think they do, maybe you should research BE&K and Halliburton. That should give you some idea of how much contractors really "care" about your safety.

[PurpleTomato]

10:52 PM on 01/02/2011

At 9:06am on 13Oct2010,i was shaken awake by a 4.3 Earthquake in Norman,Okalahoma.That was the first time i've ever felt an Earthquake.At first i wasn't exactly sure what happened.My first thought was a tree had fallen on my house but i stepped outside and my neighbors informed me it was an Earthquake.No major damage was reported but it was still unsettling.

[prodemlib]

10:54 PM on 01/02/2011

I live in the Seattle area. I HATE earthquakes.

[PurpleTomato]

12:44 AM on 01/03/2011

I can do without earthquakes and volcanoes myself prodemlib.Tornadoes and ice storms are more than enough for me.I think living in such a beautiful part of the country like the Seattle area,is probably worth the worry.

[kansasmagic]

03:28 AM on 01/03/2011

From what I remember of my "Earthquakes and Natural Disasters" class, the problem with predicting earthquakes is knowing when and where they happened in the past. The fact is, just about any spot on Earth can experience a quake without any warning. I may be wrong, but I think even the Northridge earthquake (1994?) was on a previously unmapped fault.

[kansasmagic]

03:35 AM on 01/03/2011

I should add - *without* any kind of historical record, there's no way to anticipate or predict an earthquake.

[PurpleTomato]

04:54 PM on 01/03/2011

F&F

[Woods-shade]

08:13 PM on 01/02/2011

And what of Memphis if the New Madrid fault explodes into it's overdue action. I wouldn't want to be in a town along the Mississppi...

[kansasmagic]

03:33 AM on 01/03/2011

I think I read that the New Madrid fault system was not on a "cycle" like the more active fault systems along the Pacific coast. The San Andreas fault system, for example, runs along the boundary between the Pacific and the North American plates; these two plates are in motion, so stress builds up along the boundary and is released through the quakes. The New Madrid fault system, in contrast, is located right in the middle of the North American plate, far removed from an active plate boundary. It may be a remnant of an ancient rift zone (like the East Africa Rift Zone), stretching north under Lake Michigan. I think the New Madrid earthquake was more like a random adjustment in the rift zone than a release of constantly building stress. But it has been ~15 years since I read anything on it, and our knowledge of geology changes constantly, so I may be wrong on all counts!

But keep in mind that the New Madrid quake was strong enough to (as they say) ring church bells in New York. The shaking was felt for many hundreds of miles. Another quake like that won't just affect towns along the Mississippi...

[Woods-shade]

11:10 AM on 01/03/2011

I've read eyewitness newspaper accounts of the Dec.1811 - Jan.1812 New Madrid Quake and it's aftershocks (which alone would level cities today) and I remember sitting there with my mouth hanging open. Within miles of the epicenter the ground rolled like big waves on the ocean, whole forrest treetops disappeared from view only to come back up on the next wave.. The Mississippi ran backwards for a time... and was rerouted in places like on the western Kentucky border. They say now it was likely above a 9., maybe a 10. on the scale. I can't even imagine the castastrophe if that happened today. The loss of life alone. Honestly, something like that and our crumbling infrastructure - even without a natural disaster - which is being put on a backburner, scares me more that the "ever-looming" possible terrorists attack... If you can Google accounts of the New Madrod quake, it's really fascinating..

[giono]

05:55 PM on 01/02/2011

At least the Earth is not angry at us ..... I am so relieved

[I am Sylar]

04:32 PM on 01/02/2011

What!? We can't take this guy seriously!!... Scientist.... always acting like they know more than us.... :)

Hey Dr. Wang!... what's next??... Let me guess, Global Warming is "real" too??

[kareemachan]

12:33 PM on 01/02/2011

Day after day, more people come to L.A.
Ssh! Don't you tell anybody the whole place is slipping away.
Where can we go when there's no San Francisco?
Ssh! Better get ready to tie up the boat in Idaho.

;-)

[gregory57]

12:22 PM on 01/02/2011

Micho, are you becoming a fear-monger too? I thought you were better than that. Hope you make lots of money on your new book, and then choke on it.