Japan, one of the countries with high seismic activity, should already be on the way to warn citizens 10 to 20 minutes before the tremors.
Electromagnetic waves are the "key" as pointed out by scientific groups from Japan, America, China and European countries that present the results of research, at an international conference held in Hania, Greece.
However, their usefulness is not only limited to the early prediction of earthquakes, but also of volcanic eruptions.
Professor of Geophysics at the University of Athens and director of the Institute of Earth's Interior Physics and Geodisasters at ELMEPA's University Center for Research and Innovation, Philippos Vallianatos, explained that "although the questions of recent years are scientifically open and difficult, so significant progress has been made in their direction and in the announcements that will be made, perspectives are given on where the research should go".
The Japanese system, as explained by Tokai University professor Tashiyasu Nagao, warns 10 to 20 minutes before an earthquake occurs, and the country's authorities have turned to more effective ways of disseminating information to the population.
"Because Japan is an earthquake-prone country, just like Greece, and because there is a system for studying seismic precursors and forecasting, it was decided that dense and very frequent data collection is needed. Before very large earthquakes there are disturbances of an electromagnetic nature both on the ground and in the ionosphere. Because this phenomenon appears just before the earthquake, quick data analysis should be done and thus there should be a reasonable time interval of several minutes, 10-20, in order to provide this information".
The international conference on applications of electromagnetism in seismology and volcanology was first held in Hania 25 years ago and today it was hosted again in the westernmost city of Crete, as the scientific community has achieved significant progress in the field of prediction and forecasting and seismological data analysis.