US Geologist warns of high chance of quake on US west coast

US Geologist warns of high chance of quake on US west coast

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Discussion

Puggit

Original Poster:

48,526 posts

249 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxDOkmcZWfw&fea...

Fruit loop?

I think he's right that the odds are higher due to tides etc - but only a shade higher than normal.

Time will tell if there's a quake 19-26th March!

Sparta VAG

436 posts

148 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
Not sure how credible he is but my understanding is that it's almost impossible to predict earthquakes more than a few hours ahead of time.

He may be right of course but I'm somewhat sceptical. If earthquakes were linked to the cycles of the moon and tides then surely predicting them would be a much more precise science than it is?

Americans seem to love all the apocalyptic end-of-the-world-is-nigh stuff.

Hilts

4,401 posts

283 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
Puggit said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxDOkmcZWfw&fea...

Fruit loop?

I think he's right that the odds are higher due to tides etc - but only a shade higher than normal.

Time will tell if there's a quake 19-26th March!
Isn't this from last year ?

DonkeyApple

55,730 posts

170 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
The quake in JPN last year will have either released or increased pressure around the Juan de Fuca. It's almost inconcievable that it won't have had an impact or some nature.

But, the only accurate way to predict a quake is when it is happening.

davepoth

29,395 posts

200 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
The quake in JPN last year will have either released or increased pressure around the Juan de Fuca. It's almost inconcievable that it won't have had an impact or some nature.

But, the only accurate way to predict a quake is when it is happening.
Very true. Earthquakes do tend to happen in clusters though (Cristchurch was probably related to the Japan one), so if one was going to happen as a result(ish) of the Japan quake I'd have thought we would have had it by now. The west coast is overdue for one really but it could still be years before it happens.

GingerNinja

3,961 posts

259 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
While the YT vid was only uploaded this month, it was actually a prediction for March of last year.

He appears to have received credibility for his method when he predicted an eq of magnitude 3.5 to 6 would occur in a one week window in the San Fran Bay area - and one did. However, that's an incredibly active eq zone anyway and small events happen very frequently.

So basically, he's a bit of a nut.

Derek Smith

45,807 posts

249 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
There were some amazing predictions of earthquakes in Turkey a few years ago. It was noted historically that they tended to follow a pattern over time. A quake in the east tended to be followed by a quake a little to the west along the faultline a while later, the time detremined between fairly precise dates.

There were some political problems as a prediction of a massive quake tended to put people of moving there and pressure was put on the scientists. All very political.

There seems little doubt that earthquakes do follow a predictable pattern but the window is often very wide.

GingerNinja

3,961 posts

259 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
You can always find recurrence intervals along a fault zone, within a margin of error.

Unfortunately those margins tend to be +/- 10s of yrs, if not hundreds.

Flying Toaster

270 posts

154 months

Monday 12th March 2012
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Look at the description. Nbiru, planet x etc. The bloke's a nutter!

Actually ignore that, it's just the uploader who's nuts, whether he is i don't know, time will tell

Edited by Flying Toaster on Monday 12th March 18:43

Jimbo.

3,951 posts

190 months

Monday 12th March 2012
quotequote all
"Geologists forecasts earthquake in tectonically active area"

Next week, a report on the distribution of bear faeces in and around heavily wooded areas...