No scientist has "ever predicted a major earthquake," the U.S. Geological Survey says. It's a point that bears repeating: On the same day a 7.8 magnitude quake and a string of aftershocks caused thousands of deaths in Turkey and Syria, social media swarmed with bogus claims that the cataclysm was predicted just days ago.
It's the latest case of someone gaining attention for making "scattershot statements and predictions" that might seem to have been borne out, Susan Hough, a seismologist in the Earthquake Hazards Program at USGS, told NPR.
