Dutch researcher Frank Hoogerbeets from the Solar System Geography Survey (SSGEOS) has received widespread attention on social media for his apparent prediction of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

On February 3, just three days before the massive quakes took place, Hoogerbeets took to Twitter to issue a warning, stating that a magnitude 7.5 earthquake was likely to occur in the region of South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

“Sooner or later there will be a ~M 7.5 #earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon).”, he tweeted. The tweet has since gone viral, with over 48 million views.

The SSGEOS, where Hoogerbeets works, is a research institute that monitors the geometry between celestial bodies in relation to seismic activity. The institute believes that specific geometry in the Solar System may cause larger earthquakes. On February 2, the SSGEOS published an earthquake forecast, stating that larger seismic activity may occur from February 4 to 6, with the possibility of a larger seismic event around February 4.

However, the methodology and scientific rationale behind Hoogerbeets’ prediction and the SSGEOS are not widely accepted. According to Caltech Science Exchange, it is currently not possible to predict exactly when and where an earthquake will occur, nor how large it will be. The US Geological Survey (USGS) also states that it is not possible to predict major earthquakes, and that they can only calculate the probability that a significant earthquake will occur in a specific area within a certain number of years.

The human cost of the recent earthquake has been devastating, with over 2,000 fatalities and a larger number of injuries across affected areas in Turkey and Syria. The viral tweet has sparked a debate on the validity of earthquake predictions and the role of technology and social media in the dissemination of such information.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)