Best-Selling Author Steve Alten Explores Cause of Recent Earthquakes

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwire - Oct 26, 2011) - The unusual earthquake activity that devastated Haiti, China, Japan and, most recently, Turkey, may be related to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a $10 billion science experiment housed underground in Geneva, writes author Steve Alten (www.stevealten.com) in his newest book, "Phobos: Mayan Fear."

Designed to smash atoms together at near-light speed, the LHC also creates strangelets -- small, stable black holes, says Alten, who consulted with a quantum physicist throughout his work on the third novel in his Mayan Prophecy series.

"By their own admittance, the LHC experiment creates miniature black holes," he says. "These physicists dispute the dangers of creating strangelets, which could grow in size as they pass through the LHC chamber into Earth's core. One of the side effects is that each pass through the Earth's crust causes a seismic event -- earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

"We've certainly seen some big ones since September 2008, and it may get worse."

The book saves the very worst for Dec. 21, 2012.

"We know what happens when you split the atom (nuclear weapons)," Alten says. "The price we pay for smashing atoms may be far worse."

While Alten's work is a science fiction adventure, all of his books are based on research and interwoven with fact. The physicist he worked with concurred with his theories, he says, and, over the years, other physicists have come forward to protest the work being conducted at the LHC, including a group that sued -- all to no avail.

"In 'Phobos,'" he says, "the fact is far scarier than the fiction."

About Steve Alten

Steve Alten holds a bachelor's in physical education from Penn State, a master's in sports medicine from the University of Delaware, and a doctorate of education from Temple University. His first novel, "Meg," became the book of the 1996 Frankfurt book fair, where it eventually sold to more than a 20 countries. "Meg" hit every major best-seller list, including No. 19 on the New York Times list (No. 7 audio). "Phobos: Mayan Fear" is the third in Alten's international best-selling Domain 2012 series, which was featured in The History Channel's Decoding the Past: Mayan Doomsday Prophecy. See the trailer at http://youtu.be/hCRY8ovQ3k8.