Los
Angeles Times: While Japan and several other
earthquake-prone countries have already developed early warning
systems, the US has been slow to follow suit. Now a group of
geophysicists and seismologists has announced a plan to install
such a system in Southern California, which is at risk because
of the San Andreas Fault. The plan, which would cost $80
million, calls for sensors to be placed in the ground to detect
the first signs of an earthquake. Because earthquakes consist
of two sets of waves, the system could send out a warning via
computers and cellphones when the first
wavesâmdash;called
P wavesâmdash;hit, so that people and
businesses would have a few seconds to prepare for the slower
moving but potentially more damaging
S waves.
