Did you know that 500,000 earthquakes are recorded per year? As yet, scientists have not discovered a way to predict earthquakes. Locations that are in close proximity to fault lines are more prone to have them. Initial earthquakes are usually followed by several aftershocks. So wherever you or your friends and family are located, a real-time earthquake notification service should become one of your top sites. Many of these services provide global and regional maps of real-time quakes as well as free email, voice, and networking notification services.
The U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Notification Service (ENS) provides one the most inclusive seismic notification systems in the world. Internet subscribers can customize their notifications to cover any area of the globe. Options include defining geographic region, magnitude threshold, and time threshold. Options for language and device type are included. The ENS home page provides a global map with a unique legend system for identifying past and real-time earthquakes. Clicking on a quake causes a regional map, such as northern California, to open. The user can then focus on specific locations. For a fascinating view of the scientific side, check out the website for the Global Seismographic Network (IRIS-GSN), a collaboration of USGS and IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) that measures all seismic vibrations across the globe.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (CSEM) provides a Eurocentric view of real-time earthquakes with maps of Euro-Med quake locations as well as the largest worldwide quakes. Notifications include email, SMS, real-time phone, RSS feed, Widget, and Seismicity on Google Earth (KML).
Geoscience Australia (GA), provides free subscriptions to its earthquake notification services via RSS, KML-Google Earth, CAP, or Twitter feeds. GA reports tsunami advice based on collaboration with the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center (JATWC). The home page presents a view of Australia, New Zealand, south Asia and the Indian Ocean. GA focuses on data from New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Information is also gathered from U.S., German, Japanese, German, and French seismic networks.
Alaska has approximately 1,000 earthquakes per month, 11 percent of the world’s earthquakes, and one earthquake of magnitude 7 or 8 annually. It is no surprise that Alaska has its own regional seismic network, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC). AEIC receives data from 400 Alaskan locations as well as from Canada and eastern Russia. AEIC maintains a 24-hour-a-day hotline.
Looking towards the future of earthquake notification, did you know that static electricity might someday be used to predict earthquakes? As faults grind away, intense electrical currents are generated that cause static-electricity discharges to spike. Perhaps one day, our homes and offices will be able to receive notification of static-electricity surges and immediately shut down all our tech equipment. In the meantime, consider staying up to speed using notification services from a real-time global seismic network.