New Technology Allows Phones to Detect Hundreds of Shallow Earthquakes in California

Mobile phones with Android operating systems can detect earthquakes and send data to the Android Earthquake Alerts System, which can combine data from thousands or even millions of other phones to determine whether an earthquake is happening and where. The system can then send out alerts to phones in the area where the seismic waves are likely to hit, giving an early warning. The technology opens up the possibility of monitoring for earthquakes in areas where there aren't extensive networks of expensive seismometers, providing earthquake alerts in even remote and poorer regions of the world. However, the system has its limitations, particularly in remote areas where there are few phone users and in quakes that happen offshore, where they can trigger tsunamis.