Earthquake prediction is a mystery that has stumped scientists for centuries. But it just might be that the same signals giving us directions to the nearest Starbucks could clue us in to upcoming tremors.

Professor Kosuke Heki of Hokkaido University in Japan discovered that while measuring electrons in the ionosphere using GPS signals during the Tohoku earthquake of 2011, the amount of electrons actually increased about an hour prior to the strike. This unusual phenomenon can be interpreted one hour before the earthquake.

Going back through GPS records he has found similar correlations for other major earthquakes, a discovery that is being heralded as a major breakthrough in our understanding of earthquake phenomena.

It seems like there is still much to be examined surrounding the new findings, but any advancements in the field could have profound consequences.