[Geology2] Early Warning System For Earthquakes Considered

Early Warning System For Earthquakes Considered

System Already In Use In Japan, Mexico, Turkey

POSTED: 9:53 pm PST November 22, 2010

SAN DIEGO -- A high-tech early warning system for earthquakes could buy people precious seconds and possibly minutes to prepare for a damaging quake."One minute can buy a lot," said Dr. Tom Jordan, who heads the Southern California Earthquake Center. "Imagine you're a surgeon doing an operation. Imagine you're in an elevator. Wouldn't you like to be a stopped on a floor as opposed to halfway in between?"When an earthquake occurs, it sends out two waves of energy. The first, the P-waves, cause very little shaking but travel the fastest. The P-waves would activate seismometers across the region which would then trigger an alert and warn residents that the second, more powerful S-waves are about to strike.The alert would be "transmitted to cell phones, over the Internet and even pops up on your television screen automatically when a warning is issued," said Jordan.An earthquake early warning system already exists in countries such as Japan. Their system can automatically slow down the country's bullet trains or regulate its electric grid or gas pipelines.Chile tested the same system after it experienced a powerful 8.8 magnitude quake in February.Easter Sunday's quake near Mexicali, Mexico was a good example on an earthquake that could provide a fair amount of warning."It took the waves on the order of a minute to go from the earthquake epicenter to San Diego," said Jordan.If an early warning system was in place, San Diegans could have been warned up to one minute before the ground shook on Easter Sunday.The U.S. Geological Survey wants to develop this technology for California and is using $10 million of stimulus money to improve the state's seismic network, which runs on computers up to 20 years old.However, to have a full-blown early warning system like Japan would cost an additional $80 million to $100 million."The United States thus far has not invested in early warning. I suspect when we have a devastating earthquake, that'll change," said Jordan.If and when California finds the money, it could be three to five years before it launches an earthquake early warning system."One issue is that we live in a fairly certain legalistic society," said Jordan. "I think people are nervous if warnings are issued who actually has the responsibility to do something."Besides Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey all have an early warning system.However, that type of system will not be able to provide warning to everyone. Those at the epicenter of a powerful quake will not be able to escape its damaging waves.

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