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European researchers successfully predict a major earthquake

June 24, 1999

Earthquakes are by far the most deadly natural disasters in the world. Since 1975, they have killed over 340,000 people. Since the beginning of this century, they have caused an average of 20,000 deaths each year. Unfortunately, until recently, there was no reliable scientific technique for forecasting forthcoming earthquakes.

Using Iceland as a natural geophysical laboratory , the PRENLAB project has developed a new technique which seems successful in predicting the time and magnitude of future earthquakes - although not their precise location.




The technique is based on the measurement of the relative retardation of seismic waves which changes during the period prior to an earthquake.

Because the technique requires the installation of an appropriate array of seismometers, only a few predictions have been made so far. All of these proved to be accurate, the forecast on 13 November being the most spectacular one.

This promising research will be presented at a workshop opening today in Reykjavik, which will be attended by 17 scientists from 11 EU countries , as well as by 9 Japanese scientists. The scientific objective of the workshop is to present current progress on where, how and when destructive earthquakes will strike, and how this knowledge can be exploited to mitigate seismic risk.

The workshop aims to further strengthen cooperation between the EU and Japan in earthquake research. The state-of-the art in Japan and Europe will be presented, and participants will identify areas and means for future EU-Japan cooperation in the field of seismic risk.




Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)



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