Sunday, March 18, 2012

Can GPS predict earthquakes 40 minutes ahead of time?

The BBC is reporting that Professor Kosuke Heki of Hokkaido University in Japan may have found a way to predict earthquakes using GPS:

Heki analyses GPS signals by measuring the TEC, or Total Electron Content, in the upper atmosphere. Whilst measuring how the TEC was disrupted by sound waves after the Tohoku earthquake of 2011, he discovered – quite by accident – that the TEC was also disrupted in the 40 or so minutes before it.

Going back through GPS records he has found similar correlations for other major earthquakes, a discovery that is being heralded as a major breakthrough in our understanding of earthquake phenomena.

I tried embedding the video, but the BBC code didn’t seem to work. Here’s the link to check it out for yourself.

Source – bbc.co.uk – © 2012 BBC

About Rich Owings

Rich is the owner, editor and chief bottle-washer for GPS Tracklog. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus.

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