There have been many major earthquakes this year. There was a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake in February, in Papua New Guinea, as well as a magnitude 6.7 and 6.0 earthquake in the same country. There was also a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in January in the United States, a 7.5 in Honduras, a 7.2 in Mexico in February, and a 7.1 in Peru in January. These earthquakes leads to a common question,: Can we predict Earthquakes? Scientists have tried to predict them over the years, to help lessen the damage they cause, but this is not that easy.
For scientists to be able to correctly predict an earthquake, they will need to know the date and time the earthquake will happen, the location, and the magnitude. Over time, people have tried using signs such as unusual behavior in animals, aches and pains, clouds, and more, to tell when an earthquake might be coming. Animals are able to eel earthquakes much better than humans do, and sometimes, they can sense it before humans, but animal behavior is not a reliable source. These signs are not scientific ways to determine if an earthquake is coming, and they are also not correct. USGS stated, “… if there is a scientific basis, a forecast may be made in probabilistic terms.” This means that sometimes we can make a prediction that has a probability, or chance, but not a guarantee of coming true when it comes to earthquakes.
But even though studies have showed that with our knowledge and technology at the moment, we cannot always correctly, or reliably, predict earthquakes, scientists keep working at that goal because, as stated by BBCUK, “If we give up now, we will never be able to answer the question as to wether or not earthquakes are predictable.”
Here are links to the two articles mentioned in the article.
For the article mentioned above by USGS, click here.
For the article mentioned above by BBCUK, click here.