Earthquake Clouds?

[Joppy]

Can clouds actually predict earthquake? On this site: http://quake.exit.com/
The guy suggests that certain types of clouds can predict earthquakes. It seems bull to me, so is there anyone who knows the science here?

 

[Goshawk]

From here.

Shou first proposed a model for the formation of earthquake clouds (2). When a
huge rock is stressed by external forces, its weak parts break first and small earthquakes
occur. For example, the Southern California earthquake data (@11) show that small
shocks happened before and around all large hypocentres there (Table 1). The fact that a
large earthquake produces a large gap suggests that small shocks generate small crevices,
which reduce the cohesion of the rock. Next, underground water percolates into the
crevices. Its expansion, contraction and chemistry further reduce the cohesion. Friction

heats the water and eventually generates vapour at high temperature and pressure. The
vapour erupts from an impending hypocentre to the surface by the crevices, and rises up.
It forms a cloud while encountering cold air. This kind of cloud, whose vapour is from an
impending hypocentre, is denoted an earthquake cloud. Anecdotal evidence for high
temperature and high pressure vapour is plentiful (2-16), as is evidence for the clouds
themselves.

So that's apparently their basic theory. But as for data...nahhhh. It's all hopeless woo pseudo-technical jargon gobbledygook like this:

Our earthquake model demonstrates that the vapour in an earthquake cloud is
precisely what escapes at the beginning of dehydration, i.e. when the yield strength
begins to drop sharply. Once the yield strength has dropped sufficiently, the rock yields
and an earthquake occurs. Thus, the atmospheric precursor we have discussed is directly
linked to the generation of the earthquake itself.

More of Shou's stuff here.


[shrug]

Actually, your biggest tipoff would be their website itself--a barrage of colors and fonts is always a sign of deep woo.

 

[Joppy]

D'oh. I forgot about the First Fundamental Law of Woo websites.

Well I guess the question I have is on the types of clouds he listed as indication of earthquakes. I remember one of my high school teacher talking about certain cloud types associated with raining. Are the type of clouds he used as examples just normal clouds?
This site has some photo of the so called earthquake clouds:
http://pinewooddesign.co.uk/2008/05/12/earthquake-cloud-prediction/

I am actually more interest in the first photo cause the rainbow clouds in it looks beautiful.

-----------
Ok, as I was typing the above I guess I just found my own answer regarding the rainbow clouds (through the youtube link under the photo ). They are called Circumhorizontal Arc, for anyone who doesn't know.

 

[MrQhuest]

Here is a explanation of the rainbow clouds.
Courtesy of the Bad Astronomer.

http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/22/did-strange-clouds-foretell-china-quake/

MrQhuest