As this tipping increases over so many thousands of years, the momentum of the tipping reaches a point where the crust slips and moves tremendously, establishing new pole positions.

Another view is that the position of other dynamics affecting our solar system may create a gravitational influence on Earth that pulls at the planet's crust in a way that causes such a shift.

There are related views that a possible "dark star" or "dwarf sun" sometimes referred to as "Planet X" has an elliptical orbit different from the other planets in our solar system but comes close to us every so many thousands of years.

When it does, it creates gravitational disruptions that could affect our planet in ways that trigger crustal shifts and other problematic developments on Earth.

EARTH CHANGES

Some researchers claim that such a crustal pole shift has occurred in recorded human history.

Why? Ancient maps show the coastline and some geographical and topographical features of the continent of Antarctica, apparently from a time when it was not covered with ice.

However, until ice-penetrating radar was used by the U.S. military in Antarctica flyovers in the early 1960s, many of the details of the coastline and the continent were unknown.

The data and geographical descriptions resulting from these modern surveys reportedly matched the ancient maps, according to some researchers.

This led some people to consider the possibility that in ancient times, Antarctica may not have been at the South Pole. It might have been located in more temperate latitudes and was a continent that was green and had a warmer climate.

According to these types of theories, old poles of the Earth's crust moved and the ice rapidly thawed, causing massive global floods. New poles were quickly frozen over and animal and plant life there was rapidly frozen too.

The idea that this could happen again in our future, even our near future, is something that may be interesting, or frightening, to think about.

Certainly the stories of a Planet X dark star or dwarf sun heading our way is part of the rumors and theories about a problematic development for Earth around the year 2012. These views often include consideration of massive earthquakes and partial or more widespread crustal pole shift events.

Friday's earthquake reminds us that we are small beings on this planet and our construction of buildings, bridges and the rest of our modern infrastructure is really quite fragile in the face of large-scale natural events.

Will humankind face some catastrophe like a huge crustal shift or the intrusion of a Planet X in our lifetimes? We know that anything could be possible, but the probability of these kinds of developments is unclear.

As always, we can hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

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