Somebody -a normally intelligent and sober person- laid that line on me on Friday. I responded with a brief explanation of plate tectonics and subduction zones and closed with 'it would have happened even if Man had never existed'.
He didn't seem comfortable with that, but declined to pursue the discussion further.
If I’d had a moment to think about it, I would have furrowed my brow, put on my serious face, and said, “You’re right. Geo-science is all bunk. We need to throw some virgins into volcanoes to placate the Earth”.