The claims made by Dutch researcher Frank Hoogerbeets that a 7-magnitude earthquake may strike Pakistan and other countries in the next days have gone viral on social media.
Three days before to the deadly earthquake that has so far claimed more than 10,000 lives in Turkey and Syria, the researcher at the Netherlands-based Solar System Geometry Survey (SSGEOS) had foreseen it in a tweet that he posted.
The quakes on Monday were felt in Iraq, Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt. The epicentre of the first earthquake, which was also the strongest and had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter Scale, was close to the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep. This earthquake, which occurred at 4.17 am, caused thousands of deaths and extensive damage (local time).
The U.S. Geological Survey stated that no scientist had “ever forecast a significant earthquake” after observing the prevalence of the claims. It’s the most recent instance of someone drawing attention for making “scattered remarks and forecasts” that appear to have come true, according to seismologist Susan Hough of the USGS’s Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the scientific community, it is challenging to anticipate earthquakes in advance because there is no trustworthy information available. According to Christine Goulet, head of the USGS Earthquake Science Center, “an earthquake happens very, very quickly.” It’s safe to state that, as of right now, earthquake predictions are completely impossible.
Three earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6.0 have occurred in the region since 1970, with the greatest being 6.7, according to a seismologist located in the United Arab Emirates. We are now seeing a 7.4 magnitude earthquake. Since this energy is typically released already at the time [of the earthquake], it is difficult to foresee when the earthquake may occur. Therefore, you can expect a larger magnitude or it might not happen at all.
