Animals have long been established to be
sensitive to their environments, and
researchers have proven that this sensitivity
extends to earthquake prediction. Researchers led by Anglia Ruskin University's
Rachel Grant observed animal activity at the
Yanachaga National Park in Peru. With
camera traps set up around the national park,
they discovered that animal activity dropped
in the area as far back as 23 days before a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit in 2011. Up to
seven days before the event, animal activity
ceased completely. This is highly unusual since the region is
abundant in wildlife. "The park was 320 kilometers (198 miles) from
the epicenter, and I thought, there was not
much going to be happening. But when I saw
the results, I was totally shocked," said Grant. Researchers believe the drop in animal
activity was due to positive ions being
released. Despite their name, positive ions are
bad news: they are released into the air when
rocks are under stress. As stress on the ground grew, more and more
positive ions were generated, making animals
(most especially rodents and those living on
the ground) uncomfortable. This prompts
them to leave the area. Positive ions may
trigger hyperacidity, confusion, agitation and headaches in people and have the same
effect on animals. Animals that left the national park during the
time leading to the Contamana earthquake
were thought to have moved lower down the
mountain site where the level of positive ions
in the air would be lower. A review of camera footage from the
Yanachaga National Park showed that during
periods of low seismic activity, animal
movement was normal in the park.
Researchers believe that the results of their
observation may come in handy in furthering studies geared toward improving short-term
forecasts for earthquakes. Since animals are already in place in various
parts of the world, they would make great
complements to existing monitoring systems. "[Animals as forecasters] could be used in
developing and earthquake-prone countries;
it is affordable and feasible to implement as it
just requires someone to monitor animal
behavior ... there is no need for satellites," stated Grant. Friedemann Freund, a senior research
scientist from the SETI Institute in California,
explained that animals have acute abilities to
sense the environment around them.
Observing animals in turn will help people
zero in on subtle changes in the environment, which could indicate the
coming of a major earthquake. Belief that animals can predict earthquakes
has long persisted but was only supported by
anecdotal evidence. The results of this
observation offer proof that the belief indeed
has merit.



source: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/42129/20150325/animals-can-predict-earthquakes-and-this-is-how-they-do-it.htm

Rachel Grant observed animal activity at
the
Yanachaga National Park in Peru. With
camera traps set up around the national
park,
they discovered that animal activity
dropped
in the area as far back as 23 days before a
magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit in 2011. Up
to
seven days before the event, animal
activity
ceased completely.

dem no gat bingo?

If they had bingo in the park, it wouldn't cease barking like it does bark when it sees death.