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Taiwan scientist develops earthquake alarm
Taipei (AFP) Sept 16, 2009 A Taiwanese scientist has developed an earthquake alarm that could give people a crucial 15-second warning in case of a tremor, one of his team said Wednesday. The gadget, about one-third of the size of a laptop, can be linked to computers and also be used to halt lifts in buildings when quakes strike. The system relies on seismic waves, which move vertically as well as horizontally. The device detects and analyses these vertical waves, which travel faster and are less violent than horizontal waves. "The device has been put to a series of tests," said an assistant to Wu Yih-min, a professor at National Taiwan University's Department of Geosciences. The few seconds extra would give people precious time to seek shelter in the case of potentially fatal quakes, according to Wu's team. Wu expects the device to retail for around 300 US dollars once the prototype has completed a series of tests in the coming two years. Taiwan, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, is regularly shaken by earthquakes. A 7.6-magnitude quake killed about 2,400 people in September 1999. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Purdue Receives Award To Lead National Earthquake Engineering NetworkWest Lafayette IN (SPX) Sep 15, 2009 Advancing research and education to reduce the devastation and loss of human life from earthquakes and tsunamis is the goal of a new center at Purdue University. The National Science Foundation awarded $105 million to a Purdue-led team to spearhead a center that will serve as headquarters for the operations of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, or NEES. ... read more |
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