A new GPS-based method can identify the zones where a major earthquake could strike. However, the tool still cannot determine when this event could occur. Earthquakes can happen without warning, but the ground is rarely completely still, with small movements that current systems can measure with great precision.
Until now, these measurement systems have been used mainly to understand the behavior of geological faults, rather than to predict where an earthquake might occur. This limitation is now being challenged by a new approach developed by a team of researchers.
The team responsible for this breakthrough is from the University of California. The researchers created a method that can help identify the zones with the highest probability of future seismic rupture, representing a significant step in how science approaches earthquake prediction.
