The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-03-02
FORECAST EARTHQUAKES
BY LAWSON DISCOVERY
TIME AND PLACE OF SEISMIC
DISTURBANCE CAN NOW
BE FORETOLD.
Robert Morgan in Dearborn lndepend-

this remarkable and highly important
discovery regarding earthquakes, has
visited the Occur d'Alene district on
several occasions to make geological
Investigations in connection with the
mines. His son. A W. Lawson has
been here for the past year or more
engaged in compiling a geological map
of the eastern section of the district)
BY the combination of three recent
discoveries. each of which, in itself, is
not OF great importance to the man
outside scientific circles, On Andrew
c. Law son, professor of geology at the
University of California. has made an
astounding discovery He has found
method whereby the time and place of
earthquakes anywhere on the surface
of the globe may be forecast with the
same accuracy as changes in the
weather are now forecast While there
is no known method of preventing an
earthquake no matter how far in ad
vance the world may be advised of its
coming nevertheless. such prediction,
accurate as to time and place would.
II made public. save thousands of lives
by enabling the people to leave the
threatened zone, and millions of dol
lars in property by enabling the people !
TO prepare to combat CONGREGATIONS |
which usually follow disastrous seis- ]
mic disturbances. Forecasts of earth |
urakes will not be made public ac-
cording to DR.. Lawson, for the main
reason that scientists would not dare
to reveal their discoveries of coming
seismic disturbances.
Suppose we predicted an earth
quake. and. by some chance il failed
to arrive on schedule" said Professor
Lawson "Then the people would form
vigilante committee and come up and
lynch ms. Suppose, on the other hand,
lot of nervous. impressionable peo-
pie visualized great catastrophe from
one of our predictions; then we would
have reign of terror No. we would
not dare to tell the world what ou
instruments were recording II is
safer in our own keeping"
The most interesting feature of this
great cumulative discovery is that the
coming earthquake is made to tell on
itself In other words. the surprise
the uneNpectedness of its APP
proach is taken from the temblor and
the date and place where it will strike
can be foretold months. possibly APP
years. ahead of of its ac-
tual arrival, for the coming of the
unlike that of the hurri-
'ane, the typhoOn or the cyclone, is
ong continued affair. The final re-
pound which breaks the crust of the {
'arth and sends vast areas slipping
his way and that, is approached slow ]
y and by degrees which can be stud {
ed. charted. photographed. diagram S
ned and tabulated The work of pre- $
'aring the data on which earthquake /
orecasts are based is great deal v
more arduous and much more delicate f
nan tine forecasting OF storms or other e
Ranges in climatic conditions but il 4
blows as regular lines as do weather o
and its bases are so obvious [
hat the great wonder is that man has C
OF discovered them before in
il
ne '"'ee o''sln"i discoveries on te
''''" III lawson bases MS announce re
rent OF 'le Iorec"s'ins OF earthquakes 81
as ioio"s' of
l. nat the crust OF the earth is vi
Instantly moving usually northward. q,
the rate OF few feet each year at
ms motion is known as strain IN
eep ana is due to the fact that the or
ir'h does not run true ON its axis; u.
"' Is l" SAY the north pole IN rotat- IN
g. creates 6o-toot circle instead Of vl
inning ON center as does "a shaft tb
lts hearings. This webbing about roi
'ne pole causes the creep IN the 10
rims crust. oo
2. Ihat when this strain creep has
'"'eo certain tension reached
r'"ln limit OF stretch i'm other words.
'h' material OF which the earth's the
'sl is composed that material-tha; ma
the crust gives way at its weakest me