Working Earthquake WarningDid you know that an earthquake warning system is not only possible, a tes

Working Earthquake WarningDid you know that an earthquake warning system is not only possible, a test version actually worked successfully during the earthquake in Los Angeles last week (https://www.facebook.com/TheEarthStory/posts/665555500172164)?To be clear, the warning system we’re talking about only gives a few seconds of warning; predicting earthquakes farther out remains impossible. But, a trick of science can allow a specific type of warning system to be deployed which could save both money and lives during a big quake.The key is wave speed. Earthquakes travel at the speed of sound within an object but light moves faster than that and we have communication systems that work at the speed of light. A seismic station that detects an earthquake can send out a warning using modern communication systems that outruns the seismic waves, providing warnings of a few seconds.A few second warning might not seem like a lot, but think about the places it could be used. Trains moving at high speeds could break before the quake arrives if only given a few seconds warning. Surgeons could stop what they’re doing and protect patients. Power plants can slow down and go into protective modes. Fire stations can do simple things like open their garage doors so that vehicles are not trapped.These moves in the seconds before shaking starts can save lives and money, and during the earthquake last week, a test setup worked. The USGS in Pasadena, CA received a 2 second warning before the first seismic waves arrived, and that was from a quake that happened very nearby. From a big quake on the San Andreas Fault, >10 second warnings are possible.Unfortunately for LA’s population right now, the only thing keeping this system from being deployed is money; California’s legislature refused to spend money on the system last year, leaving it in its test phase. The total cost of deployment throughout the state is estimated to be about $80 million, including the costs of maintaining some of the older stations in the state’s network. This could be deployed to save lives right now, it just needs money.-JBBImage credit:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/LA_Skyline_Mountains2.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Greater_Los_AngelesRead more:http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-earthquake-prototype-early-warning-system-20140329,0,6637333.story#ixzz2xOZPpyrhhttp://www.eew.caltech.edu/ -- source link
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