Dee Ninis, Monash University and Ryan Hoult, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)
Cities and towns have been devastated by the impact of the 6.8 magnitude quake – the largest recorded in the country’s history.
Seismologists monitor the Earth’s activity, but they can’t predict a day, time and place for the next ‘big one.’
Christian Miranda/AFP via Getty Images
The idea that scientists could warn a region that a big quake was coming at a certain time – with enough advance notice for large-scale preparation and evacuation – remains a dream, not a reality.
Devastation: the town of Kahramanmaras in southeastern Turkey on February 8.
EPA-EFE/Abir Sultan
When researchers look at CCTV footage of how people really react during earthquakes – as opposed to what they report after the fact – it looks like alerts aren’t yet inspiring protective action.