??Quakeeee??

Yes, quake...but not the kind you are thinking. Geologists think they may be able to tell when an icequake is coming, meaning they may be one step closer to predicting avalanches. Scientists find that avalanches are much easier to learn about than other earthquakes because the seismic waves only travel through the ice, raher than several layers of earth. Scientists, however, do maintain that it is impossible to predict an earthquake, or icequake for that matter, with any certainty far in advance.

Despite the impossibility of prediction, geologists believe that they may be able to make accurate predictions of avalanches within 15 days. This new information may be able to save skiers as well as villages and towns. Although all glaciers make a lot of sound due to the gravitational pull on the ice, those on a slope are particularly susceptible to avalanches and tend to make even more creaks and moans. Geologists have shown this prediction ability in Switzerland on the peak of Weisshorn. In order for scientists to get an accurate prediction, they place reflectors on different places atop the glaciers. They then ingeniously froze a microphone into the ice to record the sounds of the mountain. There was an increased amount of sound that occurred around the time before the glacier began to slide down the mountain in an avalanche.

This simple technology shows one the power of logic. If scientists simply apply what they know,  sometimes incredibly high tech equipment isn't necessary. This simple use of a microphone fascinates me; it is as though the mountain is talking to the geologists, warning them to protect the people below. This new information could save many from tragedy and definitely prevent avalanche stories from being presented on Discovery Channel...