Local scientist predicts mid-scale quake on Dec 29
Athapattu BANDARA
 Sri Lanka is likely to experience a mid-scale earthquake on December
29, predicts scientist Lalith Wejewardena. He said scientists can
predict where earthquakes are likely to occur based on the movement of
the Earth’s plates and the location of fault lines. “They also can make
general guesses about when earthquakes might occur in a certain area, by looking at the history
of earthquakes in the region and detecting where pressure is building
along fault lines,” Wejewardena said.
“I am predicting this after testing soil samples in many parts of the
country, in particular, up country areas, such as Nuwara Eliya and
Bandarawela. The surface soil can indicate any earthquake danger in the
country,” he said.
“All my earlier predictions were 100 percent correct and no geologist
or scientist were able to disprove my findings. I have been testing the
soil for a period of time and conducted most of my research at night
when the environment is calm and quiet. We can hear even tiny vibrations
if tests are conducted from 1am to3 am,” he said.
Today’s scientists understand earthquakes a lot better than they did
even some years ago. The behaviour of certain animals is also a pointer
to the exact location where an earthquake would occur. A recent study
found that 96 percent of toads abandoned their breeding site five days
before an earthquake, Wejewardena said.
“Researchers are not quite sure how the toads do this, but it’s
believed that they can detect subtle signs, such as the release of gases
and charged particles, that may occur before a quake,” he said.
He said certain earthquake predictions by some scientists were off
the mark.
“But many scientists were more successful in predicting aftershocks,
additional quakes following the initial earthquake. These predictions
were based on extensive research of aftershock patterns. Seismologists
can make a good guess on how an earthquake originating along one fault
will cause additional earthquakes,” Wejewardena said.
“Another area of study is the relationship between magnetic and
electrical charges in rock material and earthquakes. Some scientists
have hypothesized that these electromagnetic fields change in a certain
way just prior to a tremor.”
He said a new earthquake belt is being created from Indonesia via Sri
Lanka which would result in many changes in Sri Lanka’s environment and
climate.
“The 2004 tsunami which resulted in many deaths in the South Asian
region was not totally due to an effect of a single strike. There were
around five earthquakes and one significant earthquake close to Sri
Lanka caused the devastation here,” he said.
Speaking on the notion that the world will end on December 21, 2012
as predicted in the Mayan calendar, he said: “I express this with utmost
confidence and proven facts that nothing will happen to the world on
that day. This world will flourish for millions of years amidst a number
of natural and man made calamities.
“The Buddha explained this simple world order over 2,500 years ago.
He once answered a monk that we should not attempt to seek the end of
the world. Those were unanswered questions by The Buddha.
“ The Buddhist philosophy has clearly traced the real pattern of this
universe and nowhere has it been referred to the end of the world.”
“ When I predicted in 2001 that a huge rock like object would collide
with our planet, many took this as a joke.
But now America is manufacturing technological equipment to destroy
any objects which could fall on Earth.
All my predictions were not mere speculations, but, were based on
extensive research,” Wejewardena said. |
