Japan quake could be caused by processes on Sun, Moon position

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass) - The devastating 8.8-magnitude
earthquake in Japan could be caused by the processes on the Sun and the
Moon position. The opinion was expressed by deputy director of the
Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences Arkady Tishkov
in an interview to Itar-Tass.
"The close position of the Moon to the Earth and the high activity of
processes on the Sun heightened the likelihood of processes in the earth's
crust to become more active," he said.
The Moon is now located at the closest point of its orbit to Earth in
a decade - at a distance of about 350,000 km, and its weight influences
Earth's lithosphere, scientists say. The Sun also is at the peak of its
activity in several years, and just recently another outburst on the sun
caused powerful magnetic storms on our planet.
According to Tishkov, "Sakhalin and the Kuriles are currently in the
highest seismic hazard."
The strong earthquake of 8.8 magnitude struck a vast area in central
and north-eastern Japan on Friday. The epicentre was at a depth of 10 km
below the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off the prefecture of Miyagi in the
north-east of the main Japanese island of Honshu. Earth tremours are
continuing.