There is little reason to believe Chinese officials were aware of the July 2007 report, or that it would have made much difference if they had been.（中国官员大概不知道有这个报告，即使知道也不见得会有不同后果）

"We had certainly identified the potential（印发地震的潜在可能而已，不是短期预报）of these active faults," Ellis said. "But that information was effectively locked in an academic journal."

Ellis hopes that replacing the collapsed buildings with earthquake-proof structures could prevent future tragedies.

"I've been to these little towns [before the quake]," Ellis said. "Most of the houses are built of unreinforced masonry, and you can see little brick factories all around this area.

"It is more expensive to build earthquake-proof structures," he added. And the vast majority of people in Sichuan Province are anything but rich.