Some people even consider the idea of a huge and global "crustal pole shift" to be possible, both past and future.

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that shook the much of the Midwest recently reminds us that the west coast and other seismic hot spots around the world are not the only regions vulnerable to significant or severe quake activity.

For those who have researched theories of historical and possibly future large "crustal shifts" or crustal "pole shifts," each quake triggers a renewed contemplation of the possible validity of some crustal shift theories.

As has been widely reported, the area around the New Madrid fault zone in Missouri, Illinois and surrounding states has been shaken several times in recent decades.

The most severe quake in recorded history in the New Madrid region was the shaker in 1811 and 1812 which has been estimated to have been a 7.4 to 8.0 event.

But what is the bigger picture when we examine the entire crust of the planet?

PLANETARY CRUSTAL SHIFT

We know the outer crust sits on an inner layer of molten, somewhat liquid-like material. We also know the continents have shifted over the history of Earth. The conventional theories are that this took millions of years.

However, other researchers hypothesize that occasional sudden shifts of the planet's crust have happened every several thousand years, and that we might be due for another one in our lifetimes.

In this scenario, which some people suspect might be recorded in ancient human legends and accounts, virtually the entire crust of the Earth suddenly slips or rotates significantly around the inner core.

This, of course, would cause massive and devastatingly severe earthquakes, volcanic activity and tsunamis.

But why would the Earth's crust suddenly move like this?

At least two main theories have been proposed.

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