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In conclusion: living with earthquakes Today, some 4.6 billion years after the birth of the planet, the Earth's interior is a swirling mass of searing molten rock that is still in the process of cooling. As shown in this edition of Earthrium, earthquakes can be looked at on this same global scale as a dynamic phenomenon affecting the entire planet. The energy of earthquakes is phenomenal. For example, it is said that a magnitude 8 tremor is as powerful as 1000 one-megaton hydrogen bombs. When a large earthquake hits a highly populated area, the result is usually a major disaster that leads to large-scale loss of life and requires many years of recovery. An accurate system for predicting earthquakes is needed to lessen the scale of this damage, but unfortunately we still have much to learn about the Earth's interior, and in any case accurately predicting earthquakes is said to be theoretically difficult. Some interesting research has recently begun, including studies into predicting tremors by monitoring radio waves in the FM band, and we await the results with anticipation. It would be nice to think someday we will see earthquake forecasts on television similar to the weather forecasts of today. Having said that, at this stage there is no such thing as an earthquake forecast. There is no guarantee a quake will not occur right under your feet the instant you finish reading this text. So it is important that you remain vigilant and prepared at all times, and that you make an effort to minimize the risk of damage or injury in the event that a quake does hit (reports indicate that keeping in regular contact with one's neighbors has a direct impact on the speed with which people are able to gauge the situation immediately after an earthquake as well as the speed of the recovery over the entire affected region). Not only earthquakes, but typhoons and other natural disasters strike when we least expect it. Perhaps the most important thing is to respect nature at all times and to adopt a humble approach to life.

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