SAN FRANCISCO — No one can predict the exact time and location of an impending earthquake, and efforts to use satellites to detect imminent temblors often have been dismissed by geologists. Nevertheless, scientists say that sophisticated sensors and intricate computer models offer evidence that space-based instruments operating in concert with ground-based networks can help to reveal the intense stress on a fault line that occurs before a serious quake.

This post is only available to members.

Debra Werner is a correspondent for SpaceNews based in San Francisco. Debra earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. She is a recipient...