The Geostorm Series (Book 5): Geostorm [The Tempest] Read online

  That being said, while scientists are unwilling to predict exactly when the next full reversal will occur, most don’t think it could lead to a mass extinction event unless humans have evolved to the point where they, literally, can’t live without their electronic devices.

  And we’re not there yet … right?

  Right?

  Thank you for reading the Geostorm series.

  Real-World News Excerpts

  MELTING GLACIERS ARE WREAKING HAVOC ON EARTH’S CRUST

  ~ Smithsonian Magazine, September 2019

  Scientists say sea levels are dropping, earthquakes and volcanoes are waking up, and even the earth’s axis is moving.

  During the glacier heyday 19,000 years ago, known as the Last Glacial Maximum, the Earth groaned under the weight of heavy ice sheets thousands of feet thick. These enormous hunks of frozen water pressed down on the Earth’s surface, displacing crustal rock and causing malleable mantle substance underneath to deform and flow out, changing the Earth’s shape.

  As prehistoric ice sheets began to melt around 11,700 years ago, however, all this changed. The surface began to spring back, allowing more space for the mantle to flow back in. That caused land that had previously been weighed down, like Glacier Bay Park in Alaska and the Hudson Bay in Canada, to rise up. The most dramatic examples of uplift are found in places like Russia, Iceland and Scandinavia, where the largest ice sheets existed.

  As our gargantuan glaciers melt, the continents up north lose weight quickly, causing a rapid redistribution of weight. Recent research from NASA scientists show that this causes a phenomenon called “true polar wander” where the lopsided distribution of weight on the Earth causes the planet to tilt on its axis until it finds its balance.

  Our north and south poles are moving towards the landmasses that are shrinking the fastest as the Earth’s center of rotation shifts. Previously, the North Pole was drifting towards Canada; but since 2000, it’s been drifting towards the U.K. and Europe at about four inches per year. Scientists haven’t had to change the actual geographic location of the North Pole yet, but that could change in a few decades.

  Redistribution of mass is also slowing down the Earth’s rotation. In 2015, Harvard geophysicist Jerry Mitrovica published a study in Science Advances showing that glacial melt was causing ocean mass to pool around the Earth’s center, slowing down the Earth’s rotation. He likened the phenomenon to a spinning figure skater extending their arms to slow themselves down.

  FORCES FROM EARTH’S SPIN MAY SPARK EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

  ~ Erin I. Garcia de Jesus, American Geophysical Union, December 27, 2019

  New research suggests forces pulling on Earth's surface as the planet spins may trigger earthquakes and eruptions at volcanoes.

  Seismic activity and bursts of magma near Italy's Mount Etna increased when Earth's rotational axis was furthest from its geographic axis, according to a new study comparing changes in Earth's rotation to activity at the well-known Italian volcano.

  This phenomenon, called polar motion, is driven by changes in climate due to things like changing seasons, melting ice sheets or movement from tectonic plates. As polar motion fluctuates, forces pulling the planet away from the sun tug at Earth's crust, much like tides due to the gravitational pull from the sun and moon.

  Researchers point to an interesting concept. "It's the first time we've found this relationship in this direction from Earth's rotation to volcanoes," said Sébastien Lambert, a geophysicist at Paris Observatory in France and lead author of the study.

  Lambert discovered there were more earthquakes when Earth's rotational pole was furthest from the geographic axis—at the point in Earth's top-like spin when it looks like it is about to fall over.

  WEATHER EXTREMES – Are they due to pole shifting?

  ~ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Magazine, August 2016

  Weather extremes, more violent hurricanes, increasing numbers of tornadoes, increasing numbers of earthquakes, colder winters. Is it a result of a pole shift?

  Tornadoes seem to be increasing. Earthquakes are occurring in unprecedented numbers. Some of the largest hurricanes and gales ever, have occurred in recent times. During colder months some of the most severe blizzards on record have also been recorded. In recent years different theories have arisen to explain the weather changes or climate change as some like to call the phenomena.

  Theories regarding the coming of new ice age or a greenhouse effect vied for dominance. But a new version of an old theory is taking hold due to new findings by NASA and NOAA. That would be that the earth seems to be in the middle of a magnetic pole shift, and the ongoing theories are that magnetic pole shifts can cause extreme weather.

  Volcanic eruptions are cited as one factor contributing to global cooling, by blocking sunlight and creating a form of nuclear winter. However, volcanic eruptions themselves can be affected by greater forces that can affect global climate, and behavior of people and animals and really any and all living things. These greater factors are major fluctuations in the earth’s electromagnetic fields and perhaps especially such fluctuations that may occur in relation to a shift in the earth’s magnetic poles.

  More and more sources are starting to mention that the earth’s magnetic poles may be starting to shift. An Airport in Florida is having to deal with changes in magnetic declination, in particular, the airport in Tampa. The airport has had to close a runway due to this shift in magnetic north. This is cited as a sign that a major magnetic pole shift is well under way by some theoreticians and scientists.

  A growing number of scientists are starting to worry that it is the magnetic pole shift that seems to be underway that is the real culprit behind climate change. Not man-made air pollution, not the sun, not the underground volcanic activity heating up the oceans, but the slow beginning of a pole shift that has been thought to destroy entire civilizations in the past and be one major factor in mass extinctions. NASA recently discovered and released information about a major breach in the earth’s magnetic field.

  This breach in the earth’s magnetic field alone, in that it is allowing solar winds to enter the earth’s atmosphere, is sufficient to really mess up the weather. Not only is this accelerating magnetic pole shift messing up the weather it is having major effects on geopolitics. These magnetic shifts are not only capable of causing massive global super storms, but can cause certain societies, cultures and whole countries to collapse, even go to war with one another.

  All yet remains to be seen, but the magnetic reversal of the earth’s poles seems to be rapidly increasing and IS affecting world weather patterns. The real question is how bad will things get before it all settles back down to a “new normal?”

  At one time in history it was thought the North Pole was in the area that is now known as Hudson Bay. If the Hudson Bay area was the last location of the North Pole, where will it go next? And how bad will global super storms and climate change get before it is over? And can we stop blaming each other for causing this and work together to survive it and keep civilization intact?

  Epigraph

  “Of the four billion life forms which have existed on the planet, three billion, nine hundred and sixty million are now extinct. We don’t know why. Some by wanton extinction, some through natural catastrophe, some destroyed by meteorites and asteroids. In the light of these mass extinctions it really does seem unreasonable to suppose that Homo sapiens should be exempt. Our species will have been one of the shortest-lived of all, a mere blink, you may say, in the eye of time.”

  ~ P. D. James, author, Oxford, United Kingdom, written in The Children of Men

  *****

  “The end of the world came and we no longer asked, who to die by fire and who by sword. We all died by water.”

  ~ Unknown

  *****

  “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”

  ~ Jacques Cousteau

  *****

  “The journey of a thousand miles begins
with one step.”

  ~ Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher

  *****

  “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.”

  ~ John Michael Stipe, American singer-songwriter, R.E.M.

  Prologue

  The older you get, the faster time seems to go. Our planet may know the feeling. After four and a half billion years, the Earth had entered a new age, an epoch, that would be defined by cataclysmic events unprecedented in human history.

  In the past, massive asteroid strikes, the kind that resulted in the great extinction of the dinosaurs, left traces of the element iridium in the soil. In the twentieth century, the distinctive radioactive signatures left by atom bomb tests would be found by future scientists, together with different carbon isotope indicators evidencing the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels.

  But all of these markers of climate change would pale in comparison to the permanent impact of the reversal of the planet’s magnetic field. The rapid pole shift had a worldwide effect, by definition, a necessary requirement for a planetary epoch.

  First came the rains. As the cosmic rays that were normally blocked by our atmosphere found their way to the planet’s surface, clouds built rapidly across all geographic regions regardless of their normal weather patterns. Deserts were soaked. Where moisture once turned to snow, rains fell as the planet warmed.

  Oceans rose. Rivers swelled and overflowed their banks. Meandering streams and creeks became raging torrents. Serene lakes consumed acres of land and surrounded buildings while driving people out of their homes.

  And there was no end in sight.

  Had there been power, the news headlines would’ve been sensationalistic, and rightfully so.

  To be sure, prior to the rapid pole shift, scientists would’ve scoffed at the notion that this type of climate change could come about so suddenly without the influence of mankind. For a century, alarmists had warned of the impact of fossil fuels and other marvels of modern civilization as being the culprit. In the end, it was the planet itself that resulted in the cataclysm.

  The Atlantic Seaboard

  It was mid-September when the power brokers of America gave up their hold on the levers of the nation. Stock exchanges, banks, boardrooms, and media centers were emptied. Governments—local, state, and national—had ceased to function. First responders adopted a family-first approach.

  Mankind had an innate sense of awareness when it came to a catastrophe. Somehow, this collective consciousness was able to be transmitted from one person to another without so much as a single word being spoken. A subtle glance. A nod of the head. Even the pulling closed of a curtain might signal to others that danger was afoot.

  Although the power grid was down at the behest of the president, people were still mobile and capable of spreading news via word of mouth. Those closest to the Atlantic Ocean noticed the not-so-subtle changes first.

  High tides were higher than usual. Low tides never seemed to cause the water to recede. With each cycle, the ocean consumed more real estate until waves were crashing into the millions of homes perched on the water’s edge.

  In the cities, families began to retreat. Some felt safest in their cars while others headed inland on foot or bicycle. Solid lanes of vehicles, all headed away from shore, were bordered by masses of humanity moving methodically down the sidewalks, carrying their most prized earthly possessions. The strangers looked at each other with sullen, disbelieving eyes as they shuffled along, seeking confirmation that this catastrophe was really happening.

  From Boston in New England to Miami in the south, there was a solid sweep of cars and bodies evading the rising tides. The strange hush of the exodus was punctuated at times by honking horns, crying babies, and random shouts. It was a human scrum, a nightmarish marathon of participants all jarring for position.

  Some gave up or were simply unable to go on. They could be seen huddled in the doorways of buildings or in darkened alleyways, sopping wet from the incessant rainfall.

  Others stood on the roofs of high-rise buildings, observing the wave of humanity. They’d either accepted their fate or felt comfortable in their elevation above the sea. They were the ones who grossly underestimated the power of an ocean. In the coming days, those who sought the safety of the high-rises were in for a rude awakening.

  They were landlocked, in a way. Trapped by the ever-rising waters. Those on the lower floors elected to move upward. Those on the upper floors, seeking to protect their resources, chose to block the others’ intrusion.

  Within luxury apartment buildings, battles raged as desperation set in for the lower dwellers. Faced with death by flooding, they fought their neighbors. Hand-to-hand. Men, women, and children all desperately clawed their way to higher ground to avoid the rising waters. The deaths were brutal, and they were also in vain.

  As the Atlantic Ocean rose, the foundations and structural integrity of the high-rise buildings were compromised. One by one, they began to sink or topple. Those built to newer standards stood strong until an older building fell into them.

  Like a sloppy game of dominoes, America’s great coastal cities were turned into piles of rubble. Mounds of riprap that did little to slow the ocean’s consumption of the Atlantic Seaboard. The water came farther and farther inland, making the term thousand-year flood more than hyperbole.

  This was just the beginning as the rains continued to fall and the geostorms arrived.

  The magnetic reversal weakened the planet’s protective shield, and the sun’s highly charged particles infected all parts of the Earth. Those fleeing the rising waters in vehicles suddenly found themselves at a standstill. Like those around them, they continued their journey on foot, marshalling their assets to carry only what they could. Like vultures, or a pack of hungry wolves, others swooped in and fought over what was left behind.

  Despite the continuous rainfall and accompanying cloud cover, the sun’s harmful rays still began their devastating attack on the Earth’s inhabitants. Ordinarily, clouds block the more harmful ultraviolet-B rays. But the planet’s atmosphere was growing ever weaker with each passing day. For some, the effects of the radiation would take years to reveal themselves, if they lived that long. For others, especially those who were fair-skinned or who didn’t heed the warnings to cover up, the results were more dramatic.

  First-degree sunburns, which had been experienced by nearly everyone, hot and tender reddish skin, quickly became more severe. Within days, small pus-filled blisters formed. Instinctively, people scratched the pustules, causing them to break open and expose raw skin underneath. This newly exposed skin turned dark red to purple first, and their bodies reacted to the third-degree burns. Chills, mild fevers, nausea, and, ultimately, severe dehydration took hold. It was a deadly progression that could not be reversed without proper medical care, which was virtually nonexistent.

  But those were the lucky ones. They were the ones who had anticipated the rising sea levels and had the capability to travel. Others—the doubters, the ostriches with their heads in the sand, or the infirm—watched as powerful forces in faraway places caused the geography of the planet to change.

  The poles continued to shift. Beneath the Earth’s surface, a battle raged for magnetic supremacy as several new magnetic poles appeared around the globe. As temperatures rose, the Arctic sea ice and the Antarctic shelf began to rapidly wither. Huge mountains of ice broke off and began to wander into both the North Atlantic and the South Pacific.

  Massive tsunamis began to roll across the seas, daring anything to stop them. Man’s great skyscrapers and monuments were no match for the power of the ocean. Only higher ground would save the billions of the world’s inhabitants from the deluge.

  Before the shift, seventy percent of the Earth’s surface was covered in water. When the catastrophe ended, Mother Earth had gone full circle to its infancy when she was covered in a global ocean and her mighty mountain ranges stood out like archipelagos breaking the surface.

  So
as the poles wandered haphazardly, the temperatures rose, and the rain continued to fall for nearly forty days and forty nights, just as Sarah Boone had feared.

  A new Earth epoch had begun.

  Chapter 1

  Riverfront Farms

  Southeast Indiana

  Chapman Boone paced the soggy ground inside the barn. Over the last several days, the sinkhole had expanded and devoured most of the Boones’ historic family home. He, Levi, and Tommy worked together to remove everything they could while being safe. Chapman’s concerns surpassed the material things within the family home. The nonstop rains had brought the Ohio River ever closer to the barn where the family had regrouped.

  Sarah Boone had quickly put her sorrow for the death of Squire in the back of her mind as she focused on taking care of her family. Using her pioneer spirit founded upon generations of DNA and living a lifestyle that relied largely upon their land to sustain themselves, Sarah possessed the knowledge to live in a world without electricity.

  She’d spoken at length with Chapman and Isabella about the realities they faced. Their world was a whole lot smaller now. They once lived in the information age where news, weather, and research were at everyone’s fingertips via computers and smartphones. Now they were forced to make life-changing decisions based upon their expertise and instinct. And, they quickly learned, not everyone was in agreement.

  While Sarah tended to their morning meal of oatmeal cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open fire, her daughter, Kristi, and Kristi’s boyfriend, Tommy Bannon, cut apples into small chunks to add flavor to everyone’s breakfast.