Take a Look at the Earth You Live in....One Step Closer to Predicting Earthquakes

A European spacecraft has mapped the Earth's gravity with unrivalled precision - a feat that may ultimately help scientists predict earthquakes.

The five-metre Gravity and Ocean Circulation Explorer, or Goce, circles the Earth at an altitude of 250km and uses an ion rocket to prevent it losing height as it flies through wisps of atmosphere.

It maps the Earth's gravitational pulls as it orbits, recording its position with GPS and measuring the gravity in 3D accurate to one part in ten million million.

The data it collects shows how the pull of gravity varies minutely over the different surfaces of the earth, from the depths of the oceans to the highest mountains.

From the measurements, scientists have created a computer model called a geoid that shows what the Earth would look like if its shape was altered to make gravity equal at every point - an "ideal global ocean".

The map, revealed by scientists from the European Space Agency at a workshop in Munich this week, shows the areas of strongest gravity in yellow and the weakest in blue.

Scientists say the geoid will be crucial in measuring ocean circulation, sea-level change and ice dynamics - all driven by gravity - as the planet warms in response to climate change.

And, because Earth's gravity is affected by any changes in its structure and geography, scientists are also analysing information from the Goce to get a deeper understanding of the geological processes that cause earthquakes.

They do this by studying the "signatures" the quakes leave on gravity data.

For example, the recent quake that brought devastation to Japan was triggered by the sudden movement of tectonic plates beneath the ocean.

Because the earthquake was caused by tectonic plate movement under the ocean, the motion cannot be observed directly from space.

However, earthquakes create signatures in gravity data, which could be used to understand the processes leading to these natural disasters and ultimately help to predict them, the scientists said.

The GOCE satellite was launched in March 2009 and has now collected more than a year of gravity data. It is expected to flying until the end of 2011.

Click Here to watch 3D Animation of Globe

Good find OP, I hope it does some day lead to being able to predict earthquakes. It would also be nice if it would help scientists to understand gravity and some day maybe how to make anti-gravity so we can get out into space a lot cheaper and at any time.

Planet Spud