California proposes installing earthquake warning system

Los Angeles Times : While Japan and several other earthquake-prone countries have already developed early warning systems, the US has been slow to follow suit. Now a group of geophysicists and seismologists has announced a plan to install such a system in Southern California, which is at risk because of the San Andreas Fault. The plan, which would cost $80 million, calls for sensors to be placed in the ground to detect the first signs of an earthquake. Because earthquakes consist of two sets of waves, the system could send out a warning via computers and cellphones when the first wavesâmdash;called P wavesâmdash;hit, so that people and businesses would have a few seconds to prepare for the slower moving but potentially more damaging S waves.