Tracing Mother Nature's Wrath

Mother Nature is once again reminding us of her wrath. The province of Taiwan was rocked by a powerful earthquake Tuesday.

CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen spoke to John Filson, coordinator of the earthquake program for the U.S. Geological Survey.

Filson compared the magnitude 7.6 quake to other quakes normally felt in the region.

"Well, that's one of the largest earthquakes that's hit this region in about 50 years...but this is a very active region as far as earthquakes. They're just on the edge of major plates and they experience earthquakes that can be felt I'd guess about once a week," he explained.

He also said there appears to be no connection to the earthquake felt in Turkey this month.

"As far as we know, our understanding of earthquakes right now, the occurrence of this was independent of the earthquake in Turkey," he said.

When you have earthquakes sometimes in one part of the world, some people think it triggers one in another part of the world. But Filson claims there's nothing to that belief.

"Nothing to it as far as we understand things now. One hundred years from now we may have keener insights into this problem. Right now, there's no connection," he said.

How big is the threat of tsunami, the tidal waves that come after an earthquake?

"It occurred on land, practically dead center on the island of Taiwan so it's unlikely it caused a tsunami. The only case you can cause a tsunami...is if the shaking triggers a landslide which generates a tsunami," said Filson.

How real is the fear of aftershocks?

"Well, this is a serious situation there. They've had approximately six earthquakes above magnitude 6 in the hours after the main shock. Even a 6 or a magnitude 6 earthquake can be damaging, and there are literally dozens of earthquakes in the magnitude 4 to 5 range. They can be disconcerting and uncomfortable and frightening to the public that is just experiencing a severe event," Filson said.

Also, a team of Carnegie Mellon University engineers is using high-speed computers to track how earthquakes shake and shimmy.

Six years ago, the National Science Foundation established the Carnegie Mellon group to harness computers to figure out how to predict ground motions from earthquakes and pinpoint the most vulnerable spots in areas prone to quakes.

"Do we now have a map of danger areas? Not exactly," said Carnegie Mellon civil engineer Jacobo Bielak. "But we're getting closer."

Researchers say building codes and other policies could be developed that could help curb death and destruction from earthquakes.