M A S T E R P A G E
Approaches to Predicting
Earthquakes
5.1b
Attempts to predict or forecast earthquakes have been based on these approaches, among others:
1. Recognizing that seismic activity concentrates in zones of plate tectonic activity
2. Observing and recording the abnormal behavior of animals
3. Monitoring seismic activity at plate boundaries
4. Observing and recording persistent changes in the elevation of given topographic survey points
5. Locating and monitoring faults in places other than plate boundaries
6. Compiling data on the seismic history of a given area and measuring the intervals between
previous quakes
7. Monitoring the changes in emission of radon (radioactive gas) from rocks by electronic monitor-
ing of deep wells
8. Monitoring the level of the water in wells
9. Measuring variations in the magnetic field of large rock formations
10. Trenching across a fault to uncover evidence of past earthquake movement
11. Detecting strain in the rocks of the Earth’s crust by geodetic surveys
12. Using creep meters (wire strands extending across a fault) to indicate stress and movement
l3. Recording variations in the speed of waves in the swarms of tremors that frequently precede
earthquakes
14. Talking to earthquake survivors and recording their descriptions of past quakes
15. Observing foreshocks and measuring variations in P waves
16. Placing a network of seismograph stations on the ocean floor across the continental shelf and an
ocean trench
17. Monitoring selected sites in an area that has no history of major seismic activity to detect
micro-earthquakes
18. Monitoring changes in the occurrence of micro-earthquakes.
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