About 4,000 people were killed and thousands more injured on Monday when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria. Almost immediately, rescuers began searching for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings across the region.
On 3 February, a Dutch researcher named Frank Hoogerbeets claimed there will be a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in south-central Turkey, Jordan, Syria or Lebanon “sooner or later.” His tweet about the prediction went viral on social media and was accompanied by a map that outlined the regions where he expected the quake to occur.
The Dutch scientist worked for an organisation called Solar System Geometry Survey (SSGOES) which monitors the geometry between celestial bodies related to seismic activity. It claims that planetary alignments play an important role behind earthquakes and says specific geometry in the solar system may cause larger earthquakes.
According to SSGOES, there is a relationship between Earth’s crust and electromagnetic charges that are created by the sun, moon and other planets that have orbits with specific geometries. The resulting buildup of stress in Earth’s crust can lead to a rupture in the fault line and increase the likelihood of earthquakes.
While Hoogerbeets’ claims are based on an empirical study, the scientific community is divided over whether or not it is possible to predict earthquakes in advance. It is said that scientists can only calculate the probability of a significant earthquake occurring in a particular area within a certain number of years.
In addition, experts have found that some areas in the world are more prone to earthquakes than others. The United States Geological Survey, for example, has determined that Istanbul is in an earthquake-prone zone, as are many other cities in Europe and Asia.
Several countries in the Middle East are also prone to earthquakes, including Iraq and Iran. In fact, a few years ago, an earthquake in Afghanistan destroyed large areas of the city of Kabul and damaged parts of the capital Jalalabad.
The United States Geological Survey warns that there is no guarantee a quake will occur, but it is likely to happen in some place in the world at some point in the future. It points out that the only way to ensure an earthquake will not strike in a given area is to take measures such as building up to it, improving infrastructure and ensuring that people know to evacuate from affected areas before the shock hits.
Some people have even suggested that animals can sense an upcoming earthquake. Videos have circulated online showing dogs and birds displaying strange behavior hours before an earthquake happens.
Other anecdotal evidence has also been found indicating that animals can sense the intensity of an earthquake and act before it is too late. However, no consistent and dependable pattern has been established.
There are a number of other theories on how animals might sense an upcoming quake, including a potential link between earthquakes and the semi-diurnal tides that affect the ocean’s surface. However, these explanations have not been proven to be true and are generally not accepted by the scientific community.
Dutch Geologist Frank Hoogerbeets Predicted Turkey and Syria Earthquake #TurkeyQuake https://t.co/h0LwZFWev5
— todaypost (@Todaypostus) February 11, 2023
