An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 struck the Celebes Sea bordering Indonesia and the Philippines on the morning of January 9, leaving much destruction - but in retrospect, a theory began to emerge that there was a preliminary sign that made it possible to predict it two days in advance.
We enlisted the help of Claude to explain the theory and what scientists have to say about it. Shoals of millions of young sardines began washing ashore in the town of Masam on the island of Mindanao - the northern border of the Celebes Sea - on the morning of January 7.
Two days later, as mentioned, an earthquake hit the area.
The proximity of the two events raised speculations that the fish sensed the approaching tremor and "fled" to the ground - but scientists say that not only does this theory defy logic (since when do fish "flee" to their deaths?), it also attributes importance to a casual coincidence. According to researchers , the real reason for the drifting of the masses of fish to the shore is a phenomenon known today as "deep water upwelling". This is a phenomenon that occurs when wind blowing on the surface of the sea near the shore causes the surface water to move to one side. The area from which this water "escaped" is filled with water from the depths, which are especially rich In plankton and other "tastes" that sea fish like - and thus they are tempted to the shallow waters near the coast during high tide, and "get stuck" on the beach when the tide comes. Both "deep water rise" and earthquakes" are not unusual events in the Philippines, but scientists say that there are no Any connection, and it was only by chance that they happened this time in close proximity.
They emphasize that despite many rumors about it throughout history, there is no real evidence that animals are able to predict earthquakes in advance.
At most, weak early tremors cause some animals to be unusually active - but such tremors do not always happen. Were we wrong?
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