When I was a kid growing up in Hollister in the 1980s, my family took part in an interesting U.S. Geological Survey experiment. Every Saturday evening, dad phoned a USGS hotline to report any unusual activities we might have noticed with our dogs, goats, chickens and geese.The reason for this weekly ritual was to gather anecdotal data that might indicate any correlation between animal behavior and earthquake events. In the end, it turned out our animals made lousy prognosticators of tectonic activity.
With the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, many South Valley people will recall where they were during that 6.9 temblor. There will also certainly be much discussion about possible ways of predicting a major shaker. Accurate quake forecasts might one day save lives and reduce property damage when a high magnitude earthquake strikes. FULL STORY
