Researcher’s old tweet ‘predicting’ Turkey, Syria earthquake goes viral

And as several massive quakes wrought devastation in the area Twitter denizens flocked to the earlier post with their own theories.

“My heart goes out to everyone affected by the major earthquake in Central Turkey. As I stated earlier, sooner or later this would happen in this region, similar to the years 115 and 526. These earthquakes are always preceded by critical planetary geometry, as we had on 4-5 February,” Hoogerbeets tweeted after the tremors.

While some appeared to be convinced by Hoogerbeets theory, others insisted that there was no way to actually predict the time and pattern of earthquakes. 

“Everyone reading this “prediction”, please do not fall for it. Earthquakes are not triggered by planetary alignments, and there is no scientific method of predicting earthquakes. Please consult a real seismologist if you have questions,” countered another Twitter user whose bio identifies him as a member of the profession.

“Earthquakes can be triggered by planetary configurations. Many astrologers do predict them and Frank Hoogerbeets did too. If science does not want to admit it, then it is their problem,” countered another.

What does the United States Geological Survey have to say?

According to the USGS earthquakes cannot be predicted and while some might insist otherwise, “their statements are false”. 

“Neither the USGS nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. We do not know how, and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future. USGS scientists can only calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will occur (shown on our hazard mapping) in a specific area within a certain number of years,” the organisation wrote in an FAQ.