Reported in Times of India

[Guest guest]

PUNE: Do ancient eastern sciences hold

the key to earthquake prediction on the basis of unusual cloud patterns?

It may seem likely as the ancient theory of 'earthquake clouds',

which finds mention in the 6th century astronomermathematician Varahamihira's

Brihat Samahita, is also the subject of research at the Earthquake Prediction

Centre, California, and under scrutiny in Pune.

According to

US-based quake researcher Zhonghao Shou, who has been using satellite imagery to

predict quakes on the basis of peculiar cloud formations, ancient Chinese and

Italians studied special clouds which were indicative of impending

earthquakes.

A website on earthquake

clouds and short term prediction maintained by him — 'Earthquake clouds

and short term prediction' homepage (http://quake.exit.com/index.html), states

that he had predicted "a China or Neighbour EQ Cloud" more than 24 hours before

the Pakistan quake happened.

Closer home in Pune, Vedic scholar S.N.

Bhavsar has been pleading for wider, multi-disciplinary scientific investigation

into chapter 32 of the Brihat Samahita, which correlates earthquakes with

unusual cloud formations, underground and undersea activity, abnormal behaviour

of animals and cosmic and planetary influences.

According to him,

Varahamihira speaks of unusual cloud formations a week before the occurrence of

a quake.

Incidentally, a

Varanasi-based 'cloud reader' has also claimed that he had predicted Saturday's

quake and had even alerted the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

Secretariat, five days in advance.

Asked about the 'earthquake

clouds' theory, Pune-based seismic researcher Arun Bapat told TNN that it could

not be ruled out as changes in the earth's magnetic field before a quake could

have an impact on clouds and other atmospheric phenomenon.