“These are faults that could erupt at any moment, causing massive earthquakes.”
“These are the natural disasters that kill the most people on the planet.”
“Scientists can say how likely a fault is to experience a quake, but they can only predict earthquakes over the span of decades. They are unable to give early warnings.”
“…earthquakes are studied by measuring seismic waves, which are waves of energy that come from tremors within the Earth when the plates bump up against each other.”
“This fault has been quiet since 1717. It typically produces a major quake every 300 or 400 years.”
“Tobin … spent seven weeks at sea last winter on a scientific drilling ship … drilling into the Nankai Fault off the coast of southern Japan. At times braving harsh winds and waves as high as 30 feet.”
“you would know much more if you … look directly at what was inside.”
“Instruments will remain in the boreholes of both experiments for decades. They will quietly collect data, waiting for an earthquake that could strike at any time.”