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when the tectonic plates start to move and when volcanoes start to make the sea rough
Dell Herzog
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoSeismologists prefer to attempt to quantify the risk posed by a particular fault zone rather than state exactly when an earthquake will occur (as earthquake prediction is currently impossible).
In order to assess the risk of an earthquake posed by a given fault it is necessary to understand what causes earthquakes in the first place.
In simple terms they are caused by a build up of deformation in the Earth's crust which stores energy. When the stress becomes to large, exceeding the strength of the rock, the fault zone suddenly slips and all the energy is released in one instant in the form of an earthquake.
As such, seismologists will attempt to measure the movement of the crust around a fault zone to estimate the total strain that has accumulated. This measurement is often made using high precision GPS to measure relative positions of surface features around the fault zone. They may also use terrestrial laser scanning equipment which can measure changes in the ground shape (recording deformation) or by using a special form of radar and a technique called synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR for short). This process essentially involves the use of a radar to create a series of very accurate relief maps of the ground surface over time and then to compare the maps to create a final plot showing the changes between them which is a record of the land surface deformation.
They may also use strain gauges and tilt metres within boreholes to observe ground deformations as well as a technology known as time domain reflectometry which is an electrical technique used to locate damage and deformation in electrical cables and which in turn can be used to measure subsurface deformations.
Using this information and an estimate of the strength of the rock mass, seismologists will attempt to quantify the likely risk of occurrence of an earthquake on that fault zone.
For example, seismologists had warned that a magnitude 7.0 or greater event was expected to occur on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system (which caused the very destructive earthquake which affected Haiti in January 2010) due to the accumulated strain that had built up, however they were not able to state exactly when it would occur.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNot very well.Scientific instruments attempt to detect early signs,and the behavior of birds and animals may give warning of a shock, but none of these methods is currently foolproof.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agowhen the tectonic plates start to move and when volcanoes start to make the sea rough
Wiki User
∙ 12y agosome earthquakes might be predictable but most come unexpectedly
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Do earthquakes ever exceed the predicted magnitude for their fault line?
That's pretty rare, but it has happened, and of course it happens when the earthquake never was predicted.
When is the next earthquake predicted for Memphis?
Probably the biggest problem with earthquakes is that they can't be predicted.
What are short-term predictions of earthquake behavior?
Short term predictions of earthquake behaviour or even earthquake predictions in general have not occured yet. Many even question if earthquakes will ever be able to be predicted. Even the earthquakes that have supposedly been predicted correctly have controversy behind the method
Are earthquakes be predicted How?
They can't be predicted and that is the problem. Geologists monitor active faults for signs of movement.
Why was the Samoan earthquake not predicted?
You can't predict earthquakes
How are earthquakes predicted in California?
Earthquakes are very hard to predict a long time before they happen, they can only br predicted a few minutes before they are going to happen
How meteorologists forecast earthquakes?
Seismologists not meteorologists study earthquakes. Generally earthquakes can be predicted by measuring fore-quakes which often precede larger earthquakes.
Which person after Nostradamus predicted the earthquakes in the East?
Predicting earthquakes in the East is like predicting snow in the North.
Why can't earthquakes be predicted?
Earthquakes can never be predicted because Mother Nature is a surprise to us all
Was the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull predicted?
The Eyjafjallajokull volcano was predicted because the only way was to see if there were any earthquakes or tremors or magma.
How are earthquakes predicted in Japan?
they have machines that can detect movement in tectonic plates
Will there be a major earthquake in puerto rico in 2012?
Earthquakes cannot be predicted.
