Earthquake detection systems can sound the alarm in the moments before a big tremor strikes—time enough to save lives
The Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis
On March 11, a powerful, magnitude 9.0 quake hit northeastern Japan, triggering a tsunami with 10-meter-high waves that reached the U.S. west coast. Here's the science behind the disaster
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March 11, 2011
Such a system would require only a modest investment compared with the potential dangers of a major earthquake—100 new seismic stations and upgrades to existing infrastructure, at a total cost of $80 million. In five years the system could be up and running. In six we could be very thankful that it is.
Richard Allen is a professor of geophysics and associate director of the seismological laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently testing a prototype earthquake early-warning system that could be extended to all of California.
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9 Comments
Add CommentThis is just another example of big guv'ment poking into our private lives. Probably lead to a tax increase.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLiving in the heart of San Francisco, I used to wonder why I seemed so sensitive to earthquake tremors, but I found out a couple of weeks ago. I sleep in a waterbed (you will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers)and every time there is a significant temblor, it sloshes, giving me a couple of seconds to at least throw a pillow over my head. Also, a properly filled waterbed can be used as a potable water source in case of a major quake.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article fails to point out that California does have an operational Earthquake Warning System in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs) area. Is developed by a commercial company and could be expanded to cover the state in a much more cost effective and timely fashion than creating a new and untested system.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm curious as to what Scientific Aemrican is? Apparently this is from a forthcoming article of theirs. Does anyone edit anything anymore?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAssuming you have not put any chemical preservatives in the water, and that you run the water through some sort of filtration device, it could be used in an emergency. Always a good idea to have a good filtration system anyways.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso if you have a water heater there is 30-50 gallons depending on size.
Earthquakes are the result of strain-energy release from parts of the outer crust of the earth. Can we not measure these stress levels in order to predict how their growth can occur and eventually reach a magnitude where there is a structural failure?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI thought the old advice to get under a table wasn't used any more and you should get down *next* to the table instead, so that it absorbs the shock, but creates a 'safe triangle' instead of bashing in your skull? Is the advice still to get *under* something?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, stress measuring systems have been developed and proposed for earthquake prediction. For example, US patents 7,513,167 and 5,576,485, both from Dr. Serata, a Japanese-American who also happens to have survived Hiroshima. Why has this system not been deployed? No funding from government, and private industry cannot see an immediate return on investment, so no private funding either.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCheck out this YouTube I ran across:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.youtube.com/citizentube?feature=ticker#p/c/0870831CE43351E1/35/oQVPfQu50yY
I presume the countdown is based on the distance from the epicenter to some logical, standard location like central Tokyo.