Seismological data from the global network of sensors can give a lot if information about where, when, how strong and how deep the focus of the quake was. Also, we can look at records and look for trends: often large faults behave a bit like stuck geological zips, unfastening in fits and starts along their length. This data can give us an insight into where and how big a future quake might be, but predicting when it is going to happen is little more than an onformed guess: you'd be better off asking Paul the octopus who predicted World Cup results a whole back. Interestingly, many ancient beliefs around the world refered to unusual animal behaviours as being warnings to imminent tectonic events. I digress. The seismological data cannot tell geologists how the crust has moved and been deformed. This information is vital if we are to understand the forces in action. Satellite's can now measure relief to an accuracy of a centimetre or so. And so, when there is an event like the Nepalese quake, they can map how much the surface has shifted. Hence the map below:
This shows that a significant chunk of the Himalayas have gone up and another swathe, including Mount Everest, has slumped. This does cause a couple of issues:
1: all relief, previously considered a constant, on maps is out of date!
2: Is Everest the tallest peak? Has another peak outgrown it?
Link to BBC article:
Himalayan 'drop after Nepal quake'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32625431
