Earthquake early warning system tested in LA

Los Angeles Times : Seismologists at Caltech got a chance to test their earthquake early warning system last week, when a magnitude-4.7 quake struck an area about 35 miles south of Palm Springs, California. Hundreds of sensors placed in the ground sent an alert to the Caltech scientists about 30 seconds before the first seismic wave reached them. Although the system has been in place for more than a year, previous quakes were either too small or too far away to be noticed in the Los Angeles area. Once the experimental system has proven successful, the researchers hope to expand it to include thousands of sensors covering the entire state. Even a few seconds’ notice “would give utilities time to shut down, trains a chance to slow so they don’t derail and workers a chance to move away from hazardous materials or precarious positions,” writes Joseph Serna for the Los Angeles Times. California is a prime spot for testing such a system, because it contains several active fault zones.