Earth's Aerial Studies may Help Predict Earthquakes

Aerial studies of the earth's surface could actually help foretell where earthquakes and landslides might happen, claims researchers.

Specialist sensors that are carried by planes, help experts in taking measurements and isolate areas of land which are altering shape as a result of the earth's plates moving, News.com.au reported.

Study Finds That Geothermal Power Facility Triggers Earthquakes
Operations for production of geothermal power, which involve pumping water into and out of an underground reservoir, has a strong correlation with seismic activity, found a new study.

The team of scientists, from Edinburgh University, used the data to examine the impact of such movements, called tectonic activity, on hills in California's San Andreas Fault.

The data from the study revealed how tectonic activity, that is linked to earthquakes and often occur at the boundaries between plates, has shifted land up, down and horizontally at a ridge known as 'Dragon's Back'.

The team found that the movement of plates determines how sharp a hill's ridges are and the length and steepness of its slopes.

Key to Predicting Earthquakes Might Be Held By Static Electricity
A rise in static electricity below the ground could be a reliable indicator that an earthquake is imminent claims scientists.

Higher hilltops and steeper slopes are evidence of a "growing" landscape associated with faults.

The team added that the study could alert scientists to future land shifts and fault activity.

Earthquakes can be Predicted by Geoelectric Changes
Researchers claim to have found a link between the occurrence of earthquakes in the Izu Island chain and subtle changes in subterranean geoelectricity.

The study was published in the journal Science.

Source-ANI

After the Wenchuan Earthquake Relief Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Found in a Rescue Group
The incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in earthquake rescue workers is relatively high suggests previous studies.