New and advancing earthquake detection technology is making waves in California and setting new norms for earthquake
readiness.

Multiple apps have been developed that detect ground movement and send out warnings, allowing people to act before quakes reach major cities.

MyShake sent out three million warnings about a serious earthquake said to hit the Bay Area this past Oct. 18.
Although the event left many scared and confused by the overestimated earthquake, others saw this as a wake-up call to install the app.

MyShake is one of the most prominent earthquake apps on the market, which may be due to its relatively recent addition of an early-warning system.

This system detects an earthquake through a string of different stations positioned throughout the many faults that line the Bay Area.

After detecting the quake, an algorithm is run which determines the magnitude and sends out an alert before it hits.

Earthquake app enhances the magnitude of prediction accuracy

The warning is intended to alert users around a minute in advance, enough time to drop for
cover and get out of danger.

“All I could hear was loud buzzing when half of the class’s phones went off,” Mason Lum ’25 recalled right when the earthquake alert went off.

Many other apps have been made for the same purpose and achieve the same results. These include Red Cross, My Earthquake, Earthquake+, and Quakefeed Earthquake Alerts.

While the first two are free for download, the latter two are only available through paid purchase.

Accessibility is perhaps the most important thing about these disaster apps, as price may be a major factor that can drive people away.

“I hadn’t considered using one until I heard that they could predict what is going to happen,” said Engineering teacher Kurt Osmer, who acknowledged how early-warning systems are garnering more attention.

Now more than ever, the necessity to stay safe during an earthquake is gaining ground.

This is because, according to the USGS, the Bay Area is due for a major earthquake sometime before 2032.

Those few extra minutes could make a huge difference in people’s safety, even if there is a risk of false or overestimated warnings.

It is never too late to be prepared for an earthquake until it is too late.

Parker Maloney ’25 said, “I need to get one on my phone.”