It seems to me that if one were to chart the rock types in a region and their elasticity, then one would be able to see if an earthquake is about to occur. Scientists are able to see how much stress is presently on a given area of rock. They are also able to calculate the amount of stress a rock can handle before it breaks and rebounds back to its original position. With these two pieces of information, it seems logical that seismologists and geologists could predict when a given fault is about to give way. My next proposal for predicting quakes may seem very risky, or maybe even absurd, but I believe it might help improve our current situation.
Earthquakes occur because of a releasing of stress or pressure on the rocks.
Scientists have proven that much of the stress in subduction zones is due to the presence of water in the rock. Water is impossible to compress, and this creates lots of pressure in these areas. A few years back, oil companies and the government proved that by forcing water into the ground, small earthquakes will occur. With this knowledge in hand, I think one could best predict an earthquake by creating or forcing an earthquake. If our water pressure attempts fail, there are still explosives which can be used.