Headline : What we can and (still) can’t predict about earthquakes

Read more from the original article on here at theconversation.com.

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At around 10:44 Pacific Time on December 5, a huge earthquake struck around 60 miles off the coast of California. The magnitude 7 quake triggered a tsunami alert for some cities in northern California.

Fortunately the potentially catastrophic wave never appeared and the warning was later rescinded. Although many people reported experiencing an alarming shaking, thus far there have been no stories of serious casualties from the quake, with California residents typically reporting only minor damage.

A narrow escape like this is a reminder of the devastation that earthquakes in the area have the potential to cause. Residents might rightly be asking, why are we not able to better predict these quakes so that we have more advanced warning? Why has there been so little progress in predicting these catastrophic natural disasters over the decades?

The truth is that earthquake prediction is extremely hard. The tectonic plates that tessellate the globe and the fault lines where they meet are extremely complex.

Read more from the original article on here at theconversation.com.

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