How big was the earthquake by Malibu beach Los Angeles? Which app notifies you if you are in California?
After a 4.2 magnitude earthquake was felt in LA, many residents are wondering what apps will notify them in cases another major quake strikes.
A 4.2 magnitude earthquake shook Malibu beach on Wednesday morning. The first earthquake is thought to have occurred roughly 10 miles south of Malibu Beach, at a depth of around 9.2 miles. The following jolt had roughly the same epicentre, but at a depth of around 8 miles.
The Golden State experiences more than a hundred earthquakes a day but most are so small, no one notices. However, when the bigger ones hit, they are pretty hard to ignore. Local officials reported limited damage after the quake, and while seismologist say there is a small chance of a larger aftershock, none have been reported so far.
What apps can help notify you in the case of an earthquake?
Just before the earthquake social media users posted to Twitter about the events.
The technology to warn users is still being developed and researchers hope that soon it will be able to give residents a heads up long enough to find cover. An app, My Shake, aims to create an earthquake early warning system to cover California, Oregon, and Washington. My Shake is currently available for Apple and Android users and is free to download and use. The app will notify users even when their phones are do not disturb.
The State of California also uses My Shake in their own communications, along side Android Earthquake Alerts and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). WEAs are only sent in cases of “imminent threat to life or property exists in your area, including severe man-made or natural disasters such as earthquakes, wild fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes.” My Shake allows users to be informed of earthquakes that may not meet the criteria of a WEA.
My Shake will send an alert to users if a it has a magnitude larger than 3.5 and while some would like to see lower level quakes as well, the solution come to by the researchers “was to raise the level until we can start pulling from more local catalogs to give people a better experience.”