Because of the great threat earthquakes represent, concerted efforts have been made to understand their causes and effects with the hope of being able to predict and control them. Prediction has focused on changes that take place before earthquakes occur, forerunners. Possible predictors have ranged from the absurd, such as earthquake weather, to the esoteric, such as release of random gases in wells or fluctuations in the local electrical and magnetic fields. Although there are many effects associated with the build-up of stresses in rocks, unfortunately no single one of them, nor for that matter any combination, has proven reliable enough for consistent prediction. 

However, two techniques are showing great promise. The first of these techniques devised has been to determine the historical pattern of quakes by reading the rock record. We then use that information to make statistical predictions such as "there is a 30% chance that an earthquake of magnitude 7 will affect this area in the next 40 years."  The second line of research is being actively pursued in Europe and has focused on the unique behavior of the mineral quartz. When quartz is mechanically deformed, it creates a minute electrical current. As quartz-rich rocks are deformed, this causes both an electrical and a magnetic field which can be detected. While field experiments have shown that the theory is valid, the technique is far from being perfected in practice and the sad reality is that despite a century of research, we cannot predict earthquakes. 

We know how to control (or at least create) earthquakes. Earthquakes are due to the sudden release of energy associated with rocks that rupture and rebound, and the severity of a quake is primarily a function of the amount of energy that has accumulated in the rock layers. Logically, if the stress could be released in small increments, the energy would be dissipated in a series of small harmless events rather than in large catastrophic ones. 

All that is needed to decrease the friction between layers is a good lubricating fluid. Fortunately, there is such a fluid available in large quantities: water. Injection of water along faults has shown to promote slippage and theoretically, the amount of slippage could be controlled with the amount of water injected. 

Although using injection wells for earthquake control is simple in concept and fairly easily and cheaply implemented, no one to date is willing to attempt such an experiment because such an effort carries with it enormous risk. Lubricating a fault is likely to release already stored energy and thereby set off potentially devastating earthquakes. Our knowledge of faults is also limited, injection may activate heretofore unknown faults. Therefore the very real, immediate risks outweigh the potential long range benefits of such a scheme.