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THE HAMMER AND THE PENDULUM New Theories on Earth Catastrophes THE HAMMER AND THE PENDULUM New Theories on Earth Catastrophes Richard Noone, author of 5/5/2000, explains why we should adopt a more catastrophic view of history. Part 1 of 2 he shift in the Earth's crust was as sudden as it was devastating. It moved with such deadly force, with such overwhelming ferocity, that it caught everything in its path unaware and unsuspecting. It came like a great white shark from the ocean depths, its jaws open wide, ready to close on its victim. Nothing signified its approach, nothing warned of its danger. Like a thief in the night, the deadly force moved, secretly and silently, propelled by cen- trifugal forces, its primeval power multiplying in strength, multiplying in intensity, and with ever-increasing velocity it carried its deadly power encased in the frigid ice of the poles. And with a suddenness borne of seeming desperation, it tore the planet's rigid crust asunder. There was a moment of seeming indecision, and then the Earth virtually ignited in angry response as volcanoes erupted and deadly earthquakes shook the globe. The cataclysm came literally out of the blue, shattering the Earth's crust and driving the ocean into a maelstrom of death as the waters, riling in rage, burst across the land in 100- foot waves that afforded no warning to the inhabitants, no mercy for the living. A great civilisation was reduced to rubble. With the passage of time, only a legend of the dream of the Golden Age that had been remained in the minds of those who survived. Those who could had sought protection in the hills; others, less fortunate but no less determined, fought it out with Nature with a courage born of desperation. Few prevailed, but those who did wandered the ruins like wild children. They had been stripped of their basic necessities and their dreams of tomorrow that their civilisation had provided. Bewildered, their trust in God, in Nature and even in their fellow man shattered, yet driven by the instinct to survive, they began the task of forging a living from what remained, knowing nothing of what tomorrow would bring. It would be many years, and countless aftershocks, before the event was over, so, without choice, they lived minute by minute with an anxiety born of panic, won- dering, always wondering, if or when the Earth would shift again. Dramatic? Perhaps, but no less true. Newly published evidence that is as exciting as any Hollywood disaster script or a synopsis of an historical geological event that tran- spired in remote antiquity, demonstrates that there was a geological Armageddon of such magnitude as to be almost beyond comprehension. Catastrophic Earth changes of this magnitude have been a part of Earth's history since time began, and with no less certainty they will be a part of its future. So, as unpleasant as it may seem, it behoves us to take an investigative look at the theo- ries that have attempted to explain these great periods of global death and extinction. Strangely, few theories have come from the orthodox community, but those that have are better characterised as 'let me guess' theories that seem to answer nothing. The more effectual efforts have come from a few seriously dedicated authors who have picked up the reins from Professor Charles H. Hapgood and have advanced his work to the level of a working model. Many readers will identify with Professor Hapgood for the cautious and comprehensive manner in which he drafted his landmark books, Earth's Shifting Crust (1958), Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings: Evidence of Advanced Civilization in the Ice Age (1966) and The Path of the Pole (1970). Professor Hapgood is perhaps better known to the geophysical community for having laid out the hard evidence, as indeed many modern researchers are now coming to realise, that the science we see at the dawn of recorded history was not sci- ence at its dawning, but represents the remnants of the science of some great and as-yet- untraced civilisation. by Richard W. Noone © 1998 Internet websites: http://rnoone.com - www.futurefate.com Internet websites: http://rnoone.com - www.futurefate.com NEXUS 43 FEBRUARY — MARCH 1999