Wondering how to predict earthquakes?  A team of researchers, led by Professor Alasdair Skelton of Stockholm University, has uncovered what could be the most promising predictor of earthquakes in existence.  So what is it?  The team uncovered indicatory chemical spikes in groundwater almost half a year before the earthquakes struck.

Earthquakes have capabilities of killing hundreds of thousands of people and demolishing entire communities.  These capabilities are made worse by the fact that, of all of the naturally occurring disasters, earthquakes are the only ones that cannot be predicted.   In the past, experts have tried to use everything from unusual animal behavior to radon gas leaks as a means of predicting the strikes; however, all theories have rung false, as the earthquakes have continued to hit.

Other experts have stood strong to their arguments that earthquakes will never have tell-tale signs of striking, and that society is better off being prepared for them then they are trying to predict them.  Having said that, many of those experts remain curious about Skelton’s new findings.  Even if we can’t yet predict earthquakes right now, science has shown us something happening before a strike, and that something has now happened in multiple instances. 

The repetition is what is now so intriguing.  We can’t go back in time to look at the groundwater activity months before earthquakes that have already happened.  All we can do now is monitor the groundwater all over the world and let the inevitable happen.  The next steps would be to figure out how the chemical changes are occurring.  Theoretically, once we figure out why they occur, then we should be able to pinpoint the warning to the next major earthquake.  We write, “theoretically” because, without more evidence, there are not grounds for any scientific conclusion.

Nonetheless, the ability to predict earthquakes would be the pinnacle of the seismology field, and it could save lives.  Who knows, maybe the average lifespan will increase as natural disasters become even more predictable.  We’ll just have to watch the groundwater and wait and see.