QuakeFinder

Key takeaways

QuakeFinder belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect QuakeFinder to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QuakeFinder from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

QuakeFinder, LLC (QuakeFinder) was a company focused on developing magnetic field sensors (magnetometers) with a mission to save lives by forecasting earthquakes. QuakeFinder operated as an independent company with controlling interest investment from Stellar Solutions, LLC, until its closure in 2008. The company's assets were acquired by Stellar Solutions which continued the research as a humanitarian project until 2023 when data gathering was terminated. QuakeFinder teamed with five organizations in 2022 to publish ten years of earthquake monitoring results that reported "a modest signal 24-72 hours prior to earthquakes" for use in forecasts, but of insufficient accuracy to be used for predictions of earthquakes by time, location and size. In the 1970s, scientists were optimistic that a practical method to improve forecasting to the level of predicting earthquakes would soon be achieved. By the 1990s continuing failure led USGS scientists to question whether prediction was possible. Extensive searches for possible earthquake precursors were not reliably identified across significant spatial and temporal scales as of 1997. Based on the results of this research, early scientists were pessimistic and some maintained that earthquake prediction was inherently impossible. QuakeFinder deployed a network of sensor stations to detect the electromagnetic pulses the team believed precede major earthquakes. The sensors were reported to have a range of approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the instrument to the source of the pulses. As of 2016, the company reported 125 stations in California, and their research colleague, Dr. Jorge Heraud (Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Peru) reported 10 sites in Peru. Using these sensors, Dr. Heraud published that he had been able to triangulate pulses seen from multiple sites, in order to determine the origin of the pulses. Dr. Heraud reported that the pulses were seen beginning from 11 to 18 days before an impending earthquake, and could be used to determine the location and timing of future seismic events.

Background In 2010, QuakeFinder researchers said that they had observed ultra low frequency magnetic pulses emitted by the Earth near the 2007 magnitude 5.4 Alum Rock earthquake near San Jose, California, starting two weeks prior to the event. Researchers from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) had previously attempted to study similar phenomena during the Parkfield earthquake (2007) experiment using an installation of seven (7) magnetometers that differed from the QuakeFinder magnetometers in terms of sensitivity, sample rate and spatial resolution. These researchers did not find evidence of electromagnetic earthquake precursors. QuakeFinder founder Tom Blier incorporated theory from Dr. Friedemann Freund which posited that slips along a fault activate charge carriers generating signal phenomena including electromagnetic pulses that can be detected with magnetometers. Underground currents may also cause air-conductivity changes and ground heating. QuakeFinder reported that an infrared signature of the Alum Rock earthquake was detected by NASA's GOES weather satellite. QuakeFinder reported that the effects they studied are localized in time and space, and aimed to improve forecasting by "the time (within 1-2 weeks), location (within 20-40km) and magnitude (within ± 1 increment of Richter magnitude) of earthquake greater than M5.4". This observation capability for forecasting was verified by QuakeFinder's 2022 reported results.

See also Earthquake prediction Earthquake light Earthquake warning system Quakesat

References

Sources

Further reading Bleier, T.; Dunson, C. (2010). "Correlation of pre-earthquake electromagnetic signals with laboratory and field rock experiments" (PDF). Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 10 (9): 1965–1975. Bibcode:2010NHESS..10.1965B. doi:10.5194/nhess-10-1965-2010. Freund, F. T.; Takeuchi, A.; Lau, B. W. (2006). "Electric currents streaming out of stressed igneous rocks – A step towards understanding pre-earthquake low frequency EM emissions" (PDF). Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C. 31 (4–9): 389–396. Bibcode:2006PCE....31..389F. doi:10.1016/j.pce.2006.02.027. Freund, F. T. (2007). "Stimulated IR emission from rocks: Assessing a stress indicator" (PDF). eEarth. 2 (1): 1–10. Bibcode:2007eEart...2....1S. doi:10.5194/ee-2-7-2007. S2CID 14165100. Freund, F. (2002). "Charge generation and propagation in igneous rocks". Journal of Geodynamics. 33 (4–5): 545–572. Bibcode:2002JGeo...33..543F. doi:10.1016/S0264-3707(02)00015-7. hdl:2060/20010111483.

External links QuakeFinder.com Parkfield Earthquake Experiment Gordon Tokumatsu; Julie Brayton (29 June 2011). "Can Scientists Predict Earthquakes?". Los Angeles: NBC. Retrieved 30 August 2011. W. H. Wallace (29 September 1998). "A Misuse of Public Funds: U.N. Support for Geomagnetic Forecasting of Earthquakes and Meteorological Disasters". American Geophysical Union (AGU). Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QuakeFinder

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QuakeFinder claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to QuakeFinder before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about QuakeFinder ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of QuakeFinder

In research: QuakeFinder appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses QuakeFinder in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: QuakeFinder is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Earthquake and seismic risk mitigation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QuakeFinder outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study QuakeFinder in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QuakeFinder means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain QuakeFinder out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QuakeFinder in simple terms?

QuakeFinder, LLC (QuakeFinder) was a company focused on developing magnetic field sensors (magnetometers) with a mission to save lives by forecasting earthquakes. QuakeFinder operated as an independent company with controlling interest investment from Stellar Solutions, LLC, until its closure in 20…

Why does QuakeFinder matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study QuakeFinder?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on QuakeFinder.