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Seismic Data Set Could Improve Earthquake Forecasting

sciencehabit writes "Geoscientists still can't predict when a major quake will strike, and many have given up trying. But many do try to issue more general forecasts of hazards and potential damage. This week, researchers added a potentially powerful new tool to their kit: the largest seismic database of its kind ever constructed, based on tens of thousands of earthquake records stretching back more than 1,000 years. Together with a new global map of strain accumulation at plate boundaries, the data sets will form the core of an international public-private partnership intended to reshape the science of earthquake forecasting."

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  1. Anyone try animating? by thundergeek · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder what the outcome would be if you made a video showing the quakes in chronological order. Would a pattern emerge? What if you compared that data to historical data of solar cycles? Like the video a guy made of all the nuclear bombs that have been tested/deployed. Or the recording of aircraft across the globe. Patterns are there. Just a thought.