Caltech Awarded $2 Million to Develop Earthquake Early Warning System

The California Institute of Technology has been awarded $2 million of a $6 million grant by the Gordon and Berry Moore Foundation to help develop a prototype earthquake early warning system for the Pacific Coast of the United States. The grant will allow seismologists at Caltech, the University of California, Berkeley, and University of Washington, Seattle, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, to learn about the science of earthquakes and the best way to capture and analyze seismic data in order to give schools, utilities, industries and the general public as much time as possible—most likely seconds to several minutes—before the ground begins to shake.

"The Foundation's grant is a huge contribution to moving forward the science of earthquake early warning systems," said Thomas Heaton, director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory and professor of geophysics and of civil engineering at Caltech.