Earthquake Early Warning

ShakeAlert® is an earthquake early warning (EEW) system that detects significant earthquakes so quickly that alerts can reach many people before shaking arrives. ShakeAlert is not earthquake prediction, rather a ShakeAlert indicates that an earthquake has begun and shaking is imminent.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) along with a coalition of State and university partners are now implementing Phase 1 of operations of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System for the West Coast of the United States. Many partnerships to utilize ShakeAlert in authentic environments such as utilities, hospitals, transportation systems, and educational environments are active today and more are being developed. The USGS has set the goal of expanding these applications in 2019 and beginning public notifications in coordination with the emergency management agencies in Washington, Oregon, and California.

ShakeAlert Fact Sheet