The West Coast’s ShakeAlert system has received a significant upgrade, allowing it to more rapidly alert the public of the next major earthquake.
The growing network of seismic sensors that make up the system throughout California, Oregon and Washington now also incorporates sensors that directly monitor movements on the surface of the earth, “helping inform the public about potentially damaging shaking headed their way,” according to a statement from the U.S. Geological Survey, which administers the ShakeAlert system.
ShakeAlert aims to provide residents with seconds of early warning once an earthquake has been detected by sensors but before strong shaking reaches them. The new upgrade seeks to increase that time, particularly when a large and potentially damaging earthquake occurs.
Major quakes of magnitude 7 or higher are rare but present the biggest threat to human lives and infrastructure, according to Robert de Groot, Operations Team Lead Robert de Groot said.
“Future major offshore earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, which could be similar to the 2011 (magnitude-) 9.1 earthquake in Japan, underscore the importance of incorporating satellite data stream into the ShakeAlert System,” he said.