Italian earthquake

[daffodil]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7984867.stm

Fingers crossed the death / injury toll doesn't climb further.

[Morrolan]

horrible. (just so FB doesn't get on our case for not caring... )

[baloo]

Not good. My extended family was hit in the Friuli earthquake of '76 that killed 989 people and injured 2400. Even though they don't sound like large quakes, the mountainous regions and houses that have been decades and decades, if not centuries ago, can just crumble at this strength.

Reading the news reports, this surprised me

However, recriminations have already begun, with researchers from a geophysics institute who had warned of increasing smaller shocks - and the danger of a pending large earthquake - ignored during the past few weeks. One of the scientists was even threatened with charges of public mischief.

Technician Giampaolo Giuliani, who was working in laboratories in Gran Sasso was quoted three days ago by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera warning of a "disastrous seismic event".

"It is utterly false to say that we cannot predict seismic events. We can. We have been able to do so for ten years. We have been seeing these signs ... I too am evacuated we have lived the worst night of our lives," he told Corriere Della Sera.

Is this crap or can we really predict earthquakes these days ?

[Tas]

I thought we could Baloo, to some extent - thought that was the purpose of seismic activity stations. Modelling of all that research of data over the decades would have led to some half decent models by now that should have some predictive capacity if provided with the realt time input data. Again thought that was something those activity stations were were about. I doubt that they'd be 100% accurate by any means, but they should be sufficient to provide indications and warnings. That's the point isn't it, even if a bit of warning is off, better than ignoring it don't you think?

[slinky]

Certainly they know when seismic activity is up and therefore when the conditions are right for a quake, but like Tas has already said, I don't think they can predict with 100% accuracy and it's doubtful they can predict magnitude very well. But, still, surely it helps some to know there's activity - at least people can possibly make some preparations.

I think I saw a report this morning of 100 dead so far I don't think I'd cope well living where earthquakes are common - they freak me out.

[Morrolan]

it's up to 150, many wounded and 70,000 homeless.
it's another tragedy...

[Fat Bob]

Prediction is controversial according to Wiki.

Another natural tragedy, though the deaths aren't large numbers (Shichuan had nearly 70k dead and still quite a lot missing) but the numbers of displaced are high. Never good, neither are the follow up remarks by politicians for the survivors to treat things like a camping trip.

Let's hoep the aid required gets there quickly.

[slinky]

Never good, neither are the follow up remarks by politicians for the survivors to treat things like a camping trip.

Did someone actually say that?? The mind boggles.

[Pinklepurr]

It's awful, I have only just caught up on this over the weekend, I didn't realise how bad it was until I had time to check it out properly.