For weeks their recordings showed a build-up of tremors, but then, on November 29, McNally says, "there was absolute silence" for part of the day-followed by a Richter 7.8 quake within 50 km (31 mi) of where her group had installed the seismometers.

[3] A year later, she published a report attempting to classify and synthesize results of recent seismological studies for earthquakes prediction in order to allow the readers to make an independent evaluation of the progress of this program to date.

The general conclusion was that significant progress has been made in the research for earthquake prediction during the last 5 years and 86 references were cited which have been published during this time period.

[4] Two years later, she summarize her conclusions for earthquakes prediction in Southern California in a final technical report with Karen Ward from the U.S.G.S.

[5] Her work in predicting and helping prepare Mexico for the 1985 Michoacán earthquake, also earned her a spotlight in Time Magazine.

[6] In 1984, McNally joined a modern geophysical observatory (the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional (OVSICORI-UNA)) and helped to establish a national seismographic network in Costa Rica,[1] and with this she was able to improve the country's program for reducing earthquake hazards.