Why Scientists Are Still, Unable to Predict , Earthquakes.<br />NBC reports that while the cause of major <br />earthquakes is well understood, the ability to <br />predict them continues to elude scientists.<br />Despite advances, it remains almost <br />impossible to know exactly when <br />or where an earthquake will occur. .<br />If we could tell people exactly when <br />an earthquake was going to happen, we <br />could take steps to mitigate against it. <br />But Earth is a very complicated system, Wendy Bohon, communications strategist at NASA’s <br />Goddard Space Flight Center, via NBC.<br />Earthquakes often strike with little to no warning, <br />and scientists have been unable to pinpoint<br />a consistent precursor that an earthquake is imminent.<br />NBC reports that the processes responsible for earthquakes play out over long periods of time, which <br />makes it difficult to predict them on human timescales.<br />We have an incredibly good idea <br />of where we expect earthquakes, <br />and even the sizes that we can expect <br />for large earthquakes in these areas, <br />but that does not help us to narrow <br />that down to a human timescale. , Ben van der Pluijm, professor of <br />geology at the University of Michigan, via NBC.<br />According to experts, <br />one of the most important ways <br />to prepare is to be aware of the risks.<br />What we need to do is to make sure <br />we understand what can happen <br />and build to withstand that. We have <br />to make sure people know what to do. , Ben van der Pluijm, professor of geology <br />at the University of Michigan, via NBC.<br />We have to make sure that our cities <br />are able to be resilient in the face <br />of those hazards so that we don’t <br />just survive the earthquake, <br />we can survive in the aftermath, Ben van der Pluijm, professor of geology <br />at the University of Michigan, via NBC
