Can GPS satellites predict earthquakes in advance?

Predicting earthquakes has long been considered impossible due to the lack of reliable precursors, which are telltale signs that occur before seismic events. However, recent research by two scientists, Bletery and colleague Jean-Mathieu Nocquet, may have uncovered a potential breakthrough. 

They analysed GPS data from thousands of stations worldwide, looking for patterns around known earthquake locations with magnitudes of 7.0 or higher.

In the 48 hours leading up to the quakes, they observed that the ground's motion began to align with the expected motion, intensifying as the quake approached. This pattern rarely appeared in randomly selected two-hour windows without earthquakes, suggesting that these final two hours may contain the sought-after precursors.

Despite this discovery, predicting earthquakes remains a significant challenge. Current instruments lack the sensitivity required to detect these precursors in advance. Bletery estimates that existing equipment would need to be 50 times more sensitive to achieve this capability. While adding more GPS stations might help, it alone won't bridge the technological gap.

However, this research indicates progress and challenges the notion that earthquakes are chaotic, abrupt events.