Abstract: Real-Time Earthquake Reporting Network

Barrett Duff, Robert Nathan

An advanced seismic monitoring network has been developed to report real-time information on earthquakes. Such information can be used, first, to take early action to minimize injuries and damage from oncoming strong ground motion and, second, to aid in the assessment of areas of damage that require remedial action. An early warning service will alert users that ground movement will occur at their location within the next minute, depending on the distance from the epicenter. Appropriate automated procedures can be taken to mitigate potential injury and property loss. A damage assessment service in the form of an isoseismal map produced within four minutes will inform emergency response services such as fire and rescue, utilities, and others as to the intensity of strong earth motion t roughout the area to permit them to direct remedial actions and allocate disaster response resources in an efficient manner.

The reporting network will comprise about 1000 seismic monitor stations of an advanced design deployed on a 10-km grid covering southern California, each with its own uninterruptable power supply, processor, and radio telemetry. An important innovation of the system is the application of distributed parallel processors incorporating the seismic monitors, central computers and user microprocessors. A demonstration network of 25 monitor stations, a central processor, and three users is currently being implemented for the Riverside-San Bernardino counties area along the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90981©1994 AAPG Pacific Section Meeting, Ventura, California, April 27-29, 1994