COMING EARTHQUAKES

Waikato Times, Volume 115, Issue 19270, 31 May 1934, Page 2

COMING EARTHQUAKES

SEISMOLOGIST’S OPINION. “ IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT.” The definite statement that it was impossible to predict accurately the occurrence of an earthqquake was made hv Dr. C. E. Adams, Government Seismologist, at the close of an address to the newly-constituted Royal Society of New. Zealand by Dr. F. J. Turner, lecturer in geology at the University of Otago, at Wellington. Dr. Adams said that all the science of seismology could do at present was to say that a certain

neighbourhood was a favourable locality for an earthquake, but exactly where or when that earthquake would be, it was impossible to say. In an address on “The State of Geological Research In New Zealand,” Dr. Turner said It was known from experience in other countries, notably Japasja, that it had been possible to predict earthquakes. It had been possible to forecast in what regions earthquakes would occur by the establishment of suitable observatories and by careful geological mapping. Dr. Adams said the statement had often been made that earthquakes had been accurately predicted In Japan, but he had-never been able to

track it to its source, although lie had perused all the Japanese publications on the subject. On one occasion. a volcanic eruption had been predicted by this means, and had eventuated according to schedule, loss of life being averted by people in the neighbourhood acting on the prediction. Dr. Turner said that owing to the condensation of his paper, his phraseology had been somewhat loose. He agreed with Dr. Adams that hitherto it had been possible to predict volvanic outbursts only.