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 By DESMOND LAWE
The class of 2012 may have more to worry about in
the months following their graduation than a
struggling job market.
There is a growing belief that the world as we know
it will end shortly after current freshmen graduate.
Most believers point to an ancient Mayan calendar as
a harbinger of the end of days.
According to the Web site www.armageddononline.org,
the Mayans developed a measure to count days called
the Long Count, which began Aug. 11, 3114 B.C. and
is scheduled to end Dec. 21, 2012.
There are many proposed theories of how the world
will end. One involves the alignment of planets and
galaxies during the Winter Solstice, which is
scheduled to occur Dec. 21, 2012. Believers of this
theory predict that a planetary alignment will
affect the gravitational pull throughout the solar
system and cause Earth’s polarity to reverse, making
the North Pole the south and the South Pole the
north.
Paul Stoddard, an NIU planetary science professor,
discredits this theory.
“First of all, there is no planetary alignment on
the date in question,” Stoddard said. “Second, even
if there was an alignment, the pull of the planets
on Earth would be less than the daily effect that
the moon has.”
Stoddard also points out that planetary alignments
have occurred before, and life has continued on
Earth uninterrupted.
Another theory proposes a supervolcano will produce
the largest and most voluminous eruptions on Earth.
A supervolcano eruption would instantly kill
thousands, if not millions of people, and could
greatly affect the world’s climate leading to the
deaths of millions more. The nearest known
supervolcano to NIU is in Yellowstone National Park
in Wyoming.
Geology Professor Emeritus Jonathan Berg
acknowledges that an eruption may take place, but it
is not likely.
“There has been some recent increased seismic
activity near Yellowstone,” Berg said. “However,
there is no indication that an eruption is likely.”
When addressing those who say an eruption is
imminent, Berg does not mince words.
“I can tell you with certainty that only a fool
would predict a volcanic eruption of any type for
one specific month several years from now,” Berg
said.
Giuseppe Punzi, a member of the class of 2012, hopes
that Berg and Stoddard are right.
“I hope it doesn’t happen, because then my
graduation wouldn’t mean anything,” Punzi said.
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