Buildings key to beating earthquakes

Strong buildings in earthquake zones are by the best form of defence against tremors, a university expert says. Iain Main, who was the sole UK member of a panel of scientists investigating the problem of earthquake forecasting following the L'Aquila quake of 2009, spoke following the recent conviction of six scientists in relation to the disaster. Main said that it is possible to predict where an earthquake could occur, but impossible to predict their timing. Most deaths are caused by falling masonry, and aiming to prevent this by making buildings as safe as possible in quake zones should be a priority, he adds. We can't predict earthquakes with any accuracy or reliability at present. No reliable precursors have been found, and we don't expect any to emerge soon. Ian Main School of GeoSciences - Scientists can forecast that earthquakes will almost certainly happen, but at a low background rate of once in 100 or 1,000 years, depending on the size of the quake and where it is.