There's still plenty of good science that can be applied without actually predicting the earthquake. Geohazard mapping can identify those areas more prone to liquefaction (when wet sand turns to runny goo after a good shake) and where the subsurface may cause local intensification of the ground roll. Presumably that's what these guys were meant to be doing!
cheers - Andrew.
Now for some reason our corporate lawyer wants a chat... thanks a lot, Mario...
