Science May Have Discovered How to Predict Earthquakes

I grew up in Western Washington. The salty smell of Puget Sound, and gray drizzly mornings reminds me of my youth. Whenever I’m back to visit my mom - I think about what I would do if the predicted Cascadia earthquake would occur - and the accompanying Tsunami on the Pacific Coast and parts of Puget Sound.

China has possibly found a way to predict earthquakes

Chinese scientists believe that have found a monumental breakthrough in predicting when an earthquake will occur - with several day's notice. 

How?

Reuters news service reports: The earthquake prediction relies on the behavior of snakes. The snake's behavior can even provide the how large, the magnitude of an upcoming earthquake will be.

Where is the groundbreaking prediction being used?

At the Southern Chinese Earthquake Bureau in Nanning - the capital of the Guangxi region. They are using a combination of “instinct (from observing the snakes) and modern technology.”

Experts are monitoring snakes from a local snake farm - around the clock - for 24 hours a day. 

‘Of all the creatures on Earth, snakes are perhaps the most sensitive to earthquakes’ -Southern Chinese Earthquake Bureau director Jiang Weisong 

How do scientists guess the magnitude of an upcoming quake?

The director said the snakes could detect an upcoming earthquake from up to 70 miles away - three to five days before it happens.

Snakes have been observed to move out of their nests - even in the dead of winter in cold weather.

‘If the earthquake is a big one, the snakes will even smash into walls while trying to escape.’ -Southern Chinese Earthquake Bureau director Jiang Weisong 

Could this be used here in Washington?

Possibly. Studies from the big 2011 earthquake in Japan - have had huge applications on Tsunami and earthquake preparedness, in Washington state. If observing snake farms around the clock - can ultimately help predict when small and large quakes will occur, then we can expect snakes to assist scientists around the world, along the Pacific Coastline, and all around Washington.

INFO: Reuters