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They don't and can't. Meteorologists predict the weather, which is not related to earthquakes.

Seismologists predict earthquakes, but mostly only in general terms, such as "30% chance of a magnitude 6 or greater earthquake on this section of this fault within the next 30 years."

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9y ago
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12y ago

Seismologists prefer to attempt to quantify the risk posed by a particular fault zone rather than state exactly when an earthquake will occur (as earthquake prediction is currently impossible).

In order to assess the risk of an earthquake posed by a given fault it is necessary to understand what causes earthquakes in the first place.

In simple terms they are caused by a build up of deformation in the Earth's crust which stores energy. When the stress becomes to large, exceeding the strength of the rock, the fault zone suddenly slips and all the energy is released in one instant in the form of an earthquake.

As such, seismologists will attempt to measure the movement of the crust around a fault zone to estimate the total strain that has accumulated. This measurement is often made using high precision GPS to measure relative positions of surface features around the fault zone. They may also use terrestrial laser scanning equipment which can measure changes in the ground shape (recording deformation) or by using a special form of radar and a technique called synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR for short). This process essentially involves the use of a radar to create a series of very accurate relief maps of the ground surface over time and then to compare the maps to create a final plot showing the changes between them which is a record of the land surface deformation.

They may also use strain gauges and tilt metres within boreholes to observe ground deformations as well as a technology known as time domain reflectometry which is an electrical technique used to locate damage and deformation in electrical cables and which in turn can be used to measure subsurface deformations.

Using this information and an estimate of the strength of the rock mass, seismologists will attempt to quantify the likely risk of occurrence of an earthquake on that fault zone.

For example, seismologists had warned that a magnitude 7.0 or greater event was expected to occur on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system (which caused the very destructive earthquake which affected Haiti in January 2010) due to the accumulated strain that had built up, however they were not able to state exactly when it would occur.

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14y ago

Geologists may use their knowledge of rocks to predict earthquakes. Specifically, they're trained to read how rocksare formed, what they're made of, and how they react to environmental stress. Earthquakes involve the movement of rocks at the meeting of the crustal [or lithospheric or tectonic] plates that are beneath our planet's land and water bodies.

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14y ago

The same equipment that's used to measure actual earthquake activity can be used to identify underground activity that may result in an earthquake. For example, magnetometers measure changes in the earth's magnetic field. One way in which such changes take place is when the tectonic or lithospheric plates move and cause earthquakes.

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14y ago

It's by identifying the crustal [or lithospheric or tectonic] plate movement that's part of earthquake activity that Global Positioning Systems [GPS] help predict earthquakes.

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14y ago

Seismographs predict earthquakes by recording the telltale underground vibrations that come before and during an earthquake.

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6y ago

tectonic plates

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Q: How do Global Positioning Systems help predict earthquakes?
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The build-up of what has been used to try to predict earthquakes?

The build-up of strains and stresses along earthquake fault lines has been used to try to predict earthquakes. It's measured by such scientific equipment as creepmeters, global positioning systems, laser light, magnetometers, and strainmeters that coordinate the use of the seismometer and the seismograph. The measures warn of the presence of underground vibrations, the movement of the earth's soil and crust, the modifications to magnetic field activity, and the disruption of light beam transmissions that are part of the earthquake experience.


What was developed by the us to help military forces know exactly where they are on earth's surface?

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)


What were Global Positioning Systems originally developed for?

The U.S. military in time of war. The Interstate Highway system was developed for the same purpose.


The global positioning system is used to?

A global positioning system (GPS) is used to measure distances from one place to another.


Build up of has been used to try to predict earthquakes?

The build-up of what has been used to try to predict earthquakes?Natural Disasters QuestionsAnswers.com > Wiki Answers> Categories > Science > Earth Sciences > Natural Disasters>EarthquakesInternet ExplorerIt's Different Now. Develop with HTML5 & CSS3.Try Some Demos.ie.microsoft.com/testdriveAds View Slide ShowBest AnswerThe build-up of strains and stresses along earthquake fault lines has been used to try to predict earthquakes. It's measured by such scientific equipment as creepmeters, global positioning systems, laser light, magnetometers, and strainmeters that coordinate the use of the seismometer and the seismograph. The measures warn of the presence of underground vibrations, the movement of the earth's soil and crust, the modifications to magnetic field activity, and the disruption of light beam transmissions that are part of the earthquake experience.

Related questions

Do scientists use satellite data to predict earthquakes?

Yes, through the use of global positioning systemsscientists use satellite data to predict earthquakes.


Is global positioning systems used by meteorologists to predict the weather?

umm......i don't think so. global positioning systems are used more for navigation (in the geography area). there are space shuttles and equipment in space for predicting weather. but this is just off -my- head input. if your not sure, google "GPS", and find out what they're used for.


What is used to point out a specific person or thing?

Global Positioning Systems


What do scientist use the global positioning for?

global positional system (GPS) is used for finding tracks like tracking earthquakes or navigation too.


How do global positioning systems use elevation points on earth systems to find latitude and longitude?

Global Positioning System (GPS) uses timing signals from four satellites to determine your latitude,longitude, altitude and precise time.


Is a vechicle tracking sytem reliant on global positioning systems?

Yes, vehicle tracking systems are reliant on GPS.


The build-up of what has been used to try to predict earthquakes?

The build-up of strains and stresses along earthquake fault lines has been used to try to predict earthquakes. It's measured by such scientific equipment as creepmeters, global positioning systems, laser light, magnetometers, and strainmeters that coordinate the use of the seismometer and the seismograph. The measures warn of the presence of underground vibrations, the movement of the earth's soil and crust, the modifications to magnetic field activity, and the disruption of light beam transmissions that are part of the earthquake experience.


Full form of GPS?

Global Positioning Satellite


What do scientist use the global positioning system for?

global positional system (GPS) is used for finding tracks like tracking earthquakes or navigation too.


Are there cars with global positioning systems?

Of course. A GPS system is starting to become standard in various makes of vehicles.


What was developed by the us to help military forces know exactly where they are on earth's surface?

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)


What is 'global positioning system' in Spanish?

"Sistema de posicionamiento global" is a Spanish equivalent of "global positioning system."