Japan earthquake not the signal of worldwide seismic chaos

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Following the epic 8.9 magnitude earthquake that has caused untold death and destruction to Japan, the Internet became ripe with rumors of similar events about to happen elsewhere, including the west coast of the United States. But don't worry for California just yet, said Temple geophysicist Jonathan Nyquist. The Japanese quake is an individual event caused by geologic events in that area, not the prelude to a worldwide chain of seismic catastrophes. Nyquist added that the inability to predict tsunamis like the one that hit Japan is the result of geologists' inability to accurately predict the occurrence of earthquakes, which are the main cause of tsunamis.
March 18, 2011 | Fox29