Earthquake prediction

[NovaKart]

My roommate is freaking out because she saw a couple snakes on the way back home. She said snakes come out of the ground before an earthquake. She also said the birds were acting strangely. It's a bit cool today and not very sunny so I'm surprised too to see snakes. We're in the city and they're not very common.

Should we be alarmed? What's the best way to prepare for an earthquake. I'm expecting the roof to cave down on us.

 

[Fuzzz]

I thought there was no way of predicting an earthquake accurately, only statistically. You can however leave urban areas and go to an area that's a couple of metres above sea level if you feel scared.

 

[NovaKart]

I'm reasonably far from the sea but we're on a hill, this city has a lot of steep hills. I can't leave the city, I have a job.

 

[Bill3000]

I predict there will be an earthquake of some magnitude somewhere in the world in the next five minutes.

 

[Abaddon]

Go for a camping trip.

 

[W|M]

Try to stay in stable buildings.

 

[EnglishEdward]

My roommate is freaking out because she saw a couple snakes on the way back home. She said snakes come out of the ground before an earthquake. She also said the birds were acting strangely. It's a bit cool today and not very sunny so I'm surprised too to see snakes. We're in the city and they're not very common.

Should we be alarmed? What's the best way to prepare for an earthquake. I'm expecting the roof to cave down on us.

BEFORE

(1) Obtain a crash helmet.

(2) Carry a whistle to summon rescuers.

(3) Carry a large water bottle with you, so that you
can drink while waiting rescue.

(4) Keep some powerful water purification tablets on you because
there may not be much good water about afterwards.

DURING

(1) Put crash helmet on.

(2) If the building is a modern building built with steel reinforced
concrete, stay inside. If possible move to a small room.
If not possible to leave room, try to get under a table.

If the building is stone, do not stay, but leave the building
and walk to open ground.

 

[Maniacal]

Its perfectly normal to find snakes living above ground.

 

[Bestbank Tiger]

Scientific American had an article about how an earthquake warning system would work. It used the World Series earthquake as an example.

You'd have sensors every few miles. The ones closest to the epicenter would send out warnings...people in the Bay Area would have had 20-30 seconds notice before the ground started shaking.

You probably aren't going to know a few days in advance like most hurricanes, but you'd have enough warning to put on a helmet or run into a field or something.

 

[Skwink]

Oh God!!!! We have aboveground snakes everywhere here! The Cascadia fault is braking soon!!!

Check this article out: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/29/china_earthquake_snakes/

 

[NickyJ]

Oh God!!!! We have aboveground snakes everywhere here! The Cascadia fault is braking soon!!!

Check this article out: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/29/china_earthquake_snakes/

My suggestion: Go down to the beach. You might even be able to surf on some larger than normal waves.

 

[innonimatu]

There is no scientifically acknowledged way to predict earthquakes. Volcano eruptions, yes (sometimes), but that's as far as seismology got.

Animal behaviors are frequently linked to earthquakes, but those have been connections done a posteriori (and one lucky guess in China, apparently). You can find "odd" behaviors any day, and after an earthquake a few witnesses will inevitably mention some. It doesn't prove anything.

@Bestbank Tiger: those warnings for earthquakes could be done, but the time available to react for those near the epicenter (where it matters) is so small that the whole scheme is nearly pointless. For 100km or so I doubt it could even exist any time, because locating the epicenter and calculating the intensity requires signals from several sources - you'd need a really dense network of sensors.
I can only see it being useful to automate the stopping of dangerous machinery. It's unrealistic to expect people to be warned and pay attention in time, never mind react in a useful way. It might even make things worse.