State public policy issues involved with the Parkfield prediction experiment.

Abstract

The earthquake-prediction experiment at Parkfield may well be the most important such experiment currently underway worldwide. Its importance, however, extends beyond the scientific data that will be gathered and whether those data that will be gathered and whether those data can provide reliable prediction methods. Important public policy lessons are being learned (and are yet to be learned), and these lessons may be transferable to other parts of California and the nation. Indeed, the Parkfield experiment has captured the interest of numerous Californians, including State officials, emergency managers, the news media, and at least some of the public.