“Imminent Shaking”: 

What Kind of Earthquake Warning is Possible?

Summary

The U.S is developing a shakeAlert, earthquake early warning system to

detect significant earthquakes before they arrive. This is not a predictor of the
quake; instead, it notifies people once the earthquake has started and noticed
shaking. The figure below illustrates the working of the shakeAlert system.

This warning system will offer possible shaking warnings for Oregon,
Washington, and California. There are high hopes with the early warning
about earthquake arrival, but the truth is that what is expected from an early
sign of an earthquake is nuanced. This suggests that any prediction can be
imperfect, and warning time may be too short. In most cases, the timings of
the warning take seconds. Despite these limitations of the warning alert
system, some benefits are linked to this system. They have a small impact on
ensuring that the damage caused has been reduced. Many people prefer a
warning system that will give them some good time to protect themselves
before the earthquake. The alerts are issued too late and thus making the
system useless and unhelpful to people.