In a moment of astonishing stupidity, Italian prosecutors are taking up a case against geologists who failed to predict a somewhat severe earthquake.
The scientists had investigated a series of low magnitude quakes, and indicated that these quakes did not mean that a larger quake was coming. Then, a few weeks later, the 6.3 mag L'Aquilla quake occurred, killing 308 people.
See: Hazardous Living: Geologists to be charged for not predicting earthquake?
More like this
... according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Maybe. This seems not to be an official prediction stated my the JMA, as it does not appear on their web site, but agency director Takashi Yokata has made the statement to news agencies.
Geophysicists have
href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/whoi-m2e091008.php">issued
a warning, that the May earthquake in China has increased the
risk of a follow-up quake.
Earthquakes are once again in the news, this time in Mexico. Although it is only the biggest quakes that make international headlines, we might take a minute to contemplate other quakes - the ones you'll never feel.
Small earthquakes in unexpected locations are often a cause for concern. The worry is that these rumbles are harbingers of bigger quakes to come. But not always - a new study suggests that many of these tremors aren't warnings, but aftershocks.