When energy is released deep inside the Earth, the force causes the surface to shift. These are what we call earthquakes. They could be mild or violent based on the amount of energy released. They disrupt livelihoods and lead to the loss of lives.
1998 – 2017
The Toll of Earthquakes
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People injured
00
K
Total deaths
000
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Economic loss (USD)
2023
Turkey-Syria Earthquakes
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M
Buildings damaged
00
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Economic loss (USD$)
00
Magnitude
2023
Ishikawa, Japan Earthquake
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Buildings damaged
00
B
Economic loss (USD$)
00
Magnitude
The National Earthquake Information Center has been identifying about 20,000 earthquakes every year. That’s about 55 per day.
Scientist reading recorded seismograms.
Lack of Prediction Models
The devastation brought on by earthquakes raises the stakes for prediction systems. Despite advancements in science and technology, the most sophisticated models cannot predict earthquakes accurately. While scientists have extensively studied the wide array of geophysical changes that precede tremors, it remains incredibly complex to narrow down when, where, and how severe an earthquake will be.
Animals & Earthquakes
(Left) Thucydides noted animal escapes before the 373 BC Helice quake. (Right) The first known seismoscope, by Zhang Heng in AD 132.
Ancient Observations
Like all things, the answer might just lie with nature. From ancient accounts to scientific studies, throughout history there have been observations of animals exhibiting unusual behavior just before earthquakes strike. In ancient Greece, animals such as rodents and snakes that stay close to the ground were found to leave their homes ahead of upcoming calamity. Similar accounts were recorded in China with reptiles and rodents leaving their holes before major seismic events.
Through sudden howling, biting, pacing, or fleeing, animals act out of agitation and anxiety, as they sense danger and attempt to communicate it. This includes animals both wild and domesticated such as birds, elephants, cows, goats, cats, and of course, dogs.
Scientific Explanations
The widely discussed observations and anecdotal evidence nudged scientists to dig deeper. There are many compelling explanations. At the core of them all is the heightened sensitivity of animals. One of them being smell. In 1980, David G. Moulton collected evidence of animals detecting odors released prior to earthquakes. These odors are caused by sulphur, methane, and other gases released from cracks in rocks as a result of quakes.
Other senses also play a role. In 1981, Ruth E. Buskirk, Cliff Frohlich, and Gary V. Latham published their findings on the sensitivity of animals to pre-earthquake phenomena such as electro-static changes and low-frequency vibrations. A year later, Helmut Tributsch observed the response of snakes to the electrostatically charged particles recorded before earthquakes.
The common thread found in all studies is the unusual or heightened behavior observed as a result of sensing danger. When Dr. Stanley Coren was studying Seasonal Affective Disorder in dogs, back in 2001, he found a marked increase in anxiety which he concluded was due to the rise in seismic activity the previous day. In more recent studies conducted by Dr. Rachel Grant in 2015, animals, both wild and domesticated seemed to be fleeing the location ahead of seismic activity of large magnitudes.
In a nutshell, the various explanations point to the superior senses of animals, be it to electromagnetic fields, smells, sounds, or movement below the crust. These conclusions have led to various ideas for prediction models. Systems such as one that combines human reports through social media have not proven to be reliable. Other solutions that attempt to automate the process still make use of outdated equipment that capture superficial data with limited accuracy. On the other hand, these observations have also led to the rise of experiments with animals fitted with contraptions that hinder their movement, change their natural behavior, and put them in a lot of discomfort.