 |
||
 |
Earthquake Predictions
|
|
Raging surf, Waimea Bay, Hawaii. © 2005 Charles Babbitt iStockphotos Inc. All rights reserved
The Hawaii Region is newly defined (15 December 2009) as those areas within only an 85 km radius of a center on the Island of Hawaii at Lat 19.62° Lon -155.5. Since 1975, this Mauna Loa region has experienced 4 strong (M6.0-6.9) earthquakes and one major earthquake (M7.2 in November 1975).
The new range, centered on the seismically active region around the Island of Hawaii and the volcano Mauna Loa, is expected to bring more accuracy to the prediction of the largest earthquakes for this island..
All earthquake predictions for the Hawaii Region are for the largest earthquake in the nominated period, plus an error margin of about one day, but no attempt is made to make forecasts for all periods because of the constraints of private research. Each table, with its original earthquake prediction, will remain subject to revisions or updates for 10 days.
Why updates may be necessary... because earthquakes interact in a very dynamic system. Just as in reporting the weather, the latest information must be taken into account to improve forecasting.
_____________________________
SCROLL DOWN FOR TABLES
_____________________________
STATISTICS FOR EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION For period 13 August 2007 - 12 July 2008 (256 predictions)
SUCCESS RATES*
Mag Observed Events Predicted Events
(How many predicted?) (How many observed?)
Pred. Obs. %Correct Obs. Pred. %Correct
<M4 60 67 = 90% 58 66 = 88%
M4.0-4.9 76 85 = 89% 57 60 = 95%
M5.0-5.9 73 77 = 95% 90 96 = 94%
M6.0+ 25 27 = 93% 29 34 = 85%
___________________________________________ *These statistics are updated periodically and refer to tabled predictions only, as no attempt
is made to predict all large earthquakes worldwide. Note that currently successful predictions are those which are ≈80% accurate on magnitude, and within a 10-day time window (plus an error margin of about one day), reflecting the fact that earthquake prediction is still an imprecise science. However, research here is aimed at improving this margin and currently 75% of all magnitude predictions have an error margin of only 15%. Any apparent numerical discrepancies between the two halves of the above table are due to the error margins: for example, an M6 category predicted quake might have come in at M5.8
OVERALL success rate from 256 predictions worldwide-
Observed events that were predicted (234/256) = 91.4%
Predicted events that were observed (234/256) = 91.4%
SCIENTIFIC: Correlation of Predicted & Observed Magnitudes
There is a highly significant correlation (r=0.90, P< .0001) between the full set of observed and predicted magnitudes, including 'false alarms' (Worldwide N=256 as of 12 July 2008).
EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION TABLES
M= Earthquake magnitude. See HOME page for further explanation of table entries.
Earthquake Location Maps - see the USGS web site for maps of earthquakes in these tables.
New 3-layer Table Format & Prediction Rules (25 Nov 07)
Please read following points to fully explain tables below:
1. The Original Earthquake Prediction, and details relating to it, are given in the top light blue layer of each table.
The 'expected date' (or dates) given here provide the best current estimate of when the largest earthquake event is most likely within the nominated 10-day window (date prediction made +10, or possibly ≈11 days). Please note that the time window now includes an error margin of ≈1 day which may extend it to include some closely predicted events, reflecting the fact that earthquake prediction is an imprecise science. The above estimates and other details may be updated, if necessary, in the next section of the table.
The Expected Range in Magnitude, for each event after 14th July 2008, is given as the predicted magnitude +/-1 magnitude (previously it was given as +/-0.5M). Statistical analyses of over 100 of the latest predictions show that 95% of them can be expected to fall within +/-1M of the predicted values, regardless of the region of the world involved. From 14th July 2008, any predictions which fall outside these limits by as little as 0.1M will be regarded as unsuccessful.
2. Revisions, if required, are given in the mid blue layer of each table, and these revisions are used in the final assessments of the results. Please see the statement above explaining why updates are desirable, and note that revisions are limited to a 10-day window. Revisions usually relate to
earthquake magnitude and expected timing, but may also include location.
3. The Observed Earthquake and details (for the event we were attempting to predict) are given in the bottom dark blue layer of each table. The event recorded here is the largest earthquake for the nominated 10-11 day period. 'PENDING...' simply means that the anticipated event has not yet happened, or that we are waiting for the event to be posted on the web site.
HAWAII REGION
See also Long-term Forecasts
These Long-term Forecasts now give the approximate timing of the largest regional earthquakes for the lunar period ahead.
The Short-term tables below will be used to make revisable and, generally, more precise earthquake predictions for some of the important events that are indicated as being imminent in the Long-term Forecasts.
No. 16
PREDICTED M3.0 Expected Date/Location Original prediction 1st August 1-6 August (UTC) 2009 Predicted at 2357 hrs UTC Probability of event >85% within approx. 500 km of Mauna Lani
|
|
|
OBSERVED M3.0 Observed date/Location Magnitude accuracy 100% 5th August at Lat 19.073 Lon -156.243 Predicted 4 days ahead 59 km SW of Captain Cook, HI Hawaii Region, Hawaii |
No. 15
PREDICTED M2.5 Expected Date/Location Original prediction 11 January 17 January +/-3 days (UTC) 2009 Predicted at 0410 hrs UTC (time window open to 21 January) Probability of event >85% within 250 km of Lat 19.9, Lon -155.9
|
REVISION nil |
| OBSERVED M4.0 Observed Date/Location Magnitude accuracy 62.5% 17th January at Lat 19.29 Lon -155.00 Predicted 6 days ahead 50 km S of Hilo, HI (USGS source) Island of Hawaii |
Previous tables have been deleted to save space