It marked the debut of the state’s earthquake early warning system, which serendipitously fell on the 30-year anniversary of the Loma Prieta magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked San Francisco in 1989. This work paved the way for California’s new earthquake early warning system unveiled by Gov. Earthquake early warning works because communications networks can receive and send messages faster than seismic waves travel. One of those lessons was the degree to which loose sediments around the San Francisco Bay amplified shaking in parts of Oakland and San Francisco — some 55 to 60 miles away from the epicenter in the Santa Cruz mountains. And when the real big one strikes, earthquake early warning will give Californians enough time to do just that.

Source: Washington Post October 19, 2019 15:03 UTC