Astrophysicist Invents a $110 Earthquake Warning System

In the early hours of Aug. 24, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Californians awake in terror across the Bay Area. But one UC Berkeley professor received five seconds of warning from a $110 homemade device. Now, Josh Bloom has gone public with his invention to drive investment in a statewide early earthquake warning system

California already has a warning system network called Shake Alert, but lacks the political will to fund the five-year process of building it out into a robust public warning system

See also: Satellite Maps Use Stunning Colors to Show Napa Quake's Impact

Nobody can predict when an earthquake will occur. However, an earthquake's shockwaves move at the speed of sound, whereas digital messages move at the speed of light. When seismographs detect an earthquake's early, imperceptible waves they can warn the areas around the epicenter before the more dangerous waves hit. Both Mexico and Japan have warning systems like this - Tokyo received an estimated 80 seconds of warning before the 2011 quake Read more...

More about Earthquake, Tech, Gadgets, and Napa