Earthshaking events: new research on land and sea reinvigorates hopes of forecasting where earthquakes are likely to occur

When I was still a schoolboy in China, sum of two units major earthquakes occurred, about a year apart. They had a abysmal impact on my life and upon the Chinese people.

The first quake, with a magnitude of 73 struck the northern city of Haicheng upon Feb. 4, 1975. For six month before the quake, a series of a great deal of smaller quakes had rumbled in the region. They accelerated upon Feb. 3, and in the early morning of Feb 4 the regulation began to issue warnings, shutting down factories and urging family to remain outdoors. Despite the cold weather, people moved into lay open ...