From the Other Side

There has been a lot of study and research dedicated to the prediction of earthquakes. None of it has been successful. One idea in California was to take advantage of the time lag between the P-wave (first arrival) and the surface wave. It is that later wave that does the damage. The idea was to set up a communication scheme so the people at a distance from the earthquake could have a few seconds notice of an impending big one and might have time to exit buildings that are at risk. Or maybe the panic would negate any good that the time lapse would do.