Many homeowners who live near fault lines skip earthquake insurance.

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Although on the same fault line, this earthquake was much less powerful than the previous one.

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What is more, Lithuanian geologists have discovered that -- despite the fact that the Ignalina facility is built on a fault that was the site of an earthquake in 1907 of a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale -- it is only designed to withstand tremors of up to 5.5.

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Lethal earthquakes are common in Turkey, which lies on the North Anatolian fault, and the nation constantly fears another devastating earthquake.

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More to the point, it is possible that some of this power might be released before a fault moves catastrophically, and thus provide some warning of an earthquake.

ECONOMIST: Predicting earthquakes

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A magnitude 3.8 earthquake in southern California struck San Bernardino County near the San Andreas Fault Saturday morning, but no major damage was reported, authorities said.

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Whether such currents could act as earthquake predictors depends on whether there are changes in the strain on a fault before it slips.

ECONOMIST: Predicting earthquakes

Basically, this would be like a developer who is building homes along a fault line and only tests the durability of the construction up to a level 4.0 (light) earthquake when there is a decent probability that an 8.0 (major) may hit.

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