GEORGIA SOUTHERN RESEARCHERS BREAK NEW GROUND IN EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION

Researchers with the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing are now able to predict earthquake magnitude more than a month away.

Yiming Ji, Ph.D., Lei Chen, Ph.D., Christopher Kadlec, Ph.D., and Cimil Yavas can now deliver those predictions with 97.97% accuracy by using machine-learning algorithms and neural network techniques.

“The inspiration for this research stemmed from the urgent need to improve earthquake prediction accuracy,” Yavas said. “Earthquakes pose significant risks to densely populated regions, impacting public safety, infrastructure and the economy.”

Yavas and his mentors are optimistic that innovation in prediction techniques, such as machine learning and neural networks, can mitigate its destructive effects.

“Our goal is to make machine learning a central tool in earthquake forecasting and to inspire continued advancements in AI applications for natural disaster preparedness worldwide,” said Kadlec.