Scientists Can Now Estimate Earthquake Strength in the First Few Seconds

This is not the usual visionary, crystal bowl reading, witchcraft kind of story, this really is the first time scientists managed to actually establish what the magnitude of an earthquake is going to be after analyzing the seismic waves in the first few seconds. If research continues at the same rate it could be possible to go even further and actually know when a future earthquake is going to happen and how big will it be.

For now, scientists at the University of California managed to establish if a quake is going to be only a minor tremor or a huge catastrophe only after analyzing the activity of the tectonic plates in the first few seconds of movement. Previously, the exact magnitude of the quake could only be established a few minutes after the quake ended. Hopefully, based on this great discovery it will be possible to put together warning systems that will be triggered at the slightest seismic activity and will alert people as to how big the quake is going to be. Even if it only gives people a few dozen seconds more, this system could make the difference between life and death. This would be most effective if it warned electricity and gas providers who could then shut down all systems and thus avoid possible explosions.