One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in history – which struck Russia’s Far East today – appears to have been flagged only days ago on a YouTube channel.
Multiple tsunami warnings have been triggered for Japan, the US, Hawaii and South America, forcing thousands of people to abandon their homes and evacuate, or search for higher ground.
Follow the latest updates on the earthquake on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula with Metro’s live blog
Waves as high as 13 feet have already smashed into populated areas and washed away buildings, leaving people to ask why there were no official warnings before the disaster.
Just three days before the ‘life-threatening’ 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Kamchatka Peninsula, Earthly – a YouTube channel ‘investigating the mysteries of earth and beyond’ – predicted it.
Broadcasting to more than 77,000 subscribers, it warned that a ‘deadly megathrust fault is ready to rupture: a pacific-wide tsunami is coming.’
Outlining the geology of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, situated off the coasts of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, and recent seismic activity, the creator argued that ‘the next big one is overdue.’
How common are earthquakes in Kamchatka?
Kamchatka has seen powerful seismic activity throughout its history – and the last earthquake of comparable scale – which killed as many as 2,336 people – happened in 1952.
The 9.0-magnitude tremor also generated widespread tsunami damage and led to global advances in the detection of such disasters.
More recently, a 7.5-magnitude quake in April rattled the same region and was then followed by a series of smaller tremors in June.
A 7.4-magnitude one then hit just 10 days ago, triggering multiple tsunami threats, which were later dropped.
With the region’s history in mind, the creator stressed that, decades later, ‘signs are mounting that history may be poised to repeat itself’.
They said: ‘Scientists fear a much larger rupture could be imminent, one capable of generating oceanwide tsunamis and devastating coastal cities along Russia’s Pacific Rim.’
Users were quick to praise the video for accurately predicting the quake, with one saying: ‘The earliest earthquake warning in history made right here.’
Another comment read: ‘And three days later, we have an 8.7 earthquake with 6.7 aftershock. Nicely called.’
This also comes as some believe that Ryo Tatsuki –Japan’s answer to Baba Vanga – may have accurately called the earthquake.
But there is one problem: earthquakes cannot be predicted.
Cases of Earthly may appear accurate after it has happened, but accurately projecting when and where one will strike is a significant challenge, despite technological advancements.
Can earthquakes be predicted?
The short answer is no, earthquakes cannot be predicted with any accuracy in terms of specifying the exact date, time, and location, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Scientists can calculate the probability of one happening in a specific area within a certain timeframe, but this is simply a forecast.
The magnitude and the intensity is also hard to establish in advance with any certainty.
This is because earthquakes do not have consistent precursors for a warning to be issued to people.
Past attempts to use signals like electromagnetic changes have not held up under scientific scrutiny.
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