Long term earthquake prediction is based on measurements of strain accumulation observations of things like animal behavior, radon gas emissions, and changes in topography measurements of the plate motions and rate of stress accumulation the assumption that large faults break in a cyclical manner.

knowledge of when and where earthquakes have occurred in the past

Explanation:

knowledge of present tectonic setting, historical records, and geological records are studied to determine locations and recurrence intervals of earthquakes. Thus, Earthquakes are measured using instruments called seismometers, that detect the vibrations caused by seismic waves as they travel through the crust.