Abstract

The legends of Earth catastrophes (cataclysm from the stars) often start with the approach of a great comet followed by Fire, Flood, Hot Hail, Wind, Earthquake, Volcanic Eruptions and Erratic Movement of the Sun and stars in various combinations. The deluge events are evidently not like a tsunami but rather an enormous rising up of the sea. When the water recedes a new era starts, often with a changed climate and sometimes the Sun and stars rise in what was the West. The destruction is, of course, enormous and few survive in many areas. The recent understanding that the past planetary arrangement was very different from the present has given the clues to mechanisms by which axis of the Earth can temporarily shift but finally return to one of two stable locations. The mechanisms are surprisingly simple and subject to experimental confirmation and paleogeographic research.