NASA and Scripps Institute of Oceanography have developed an earthquake detection system that provides more accurate data about an earthquake within minutes.
When an earthquake strikes, the most valuable information (that is needed immediately) includes its location, depth, and magnitude. The quality of the information and how fast it can be obtained affects the number of lives that can be potentially saved.
Currently, seismic sensors on the ground are used to measure how much the earth’s crust shakes during an earthquake. This, however, remains an inadequate technique to quickly assess an earthquake’s magnitude.
This system presents major flaws when an earthquake is of a high magnitude and can potentially interpret an earthquake which is a 9.0 as an 8.0. The former is about 30 times worse. Underestimating an earthquake’s impact can lead to fewer issued hazard warnings and increased risk for residents and evacuees. It also can take 20-25 minutes to receive this data.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory teamed up with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and together, they have upgraded GPS stations with sensors that monitor not only for earthquakes but also for GPS, pressure, temperature, and seismic data in real-time around southern California.
The information is sent to Scripps using internet and radio waves and scientists can then use the GPA data to accurately assess how much the ground moved and where it moved during an earthquake. The data is put into computer models which estimate the earthquake’s location, potential to create a tsunami, location, depth, and magnitude all within minutes.
These stations with sensors are being placed on a variety of buildings, from hospitals to bridges, to assess, after an earthquake, the extent to which a building/structure moved. This will enable authorities to draw conclusions on which buildings are safer and which can become more dangerous during an earthquake.
For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov.