A new earthquake detection system developed by Google and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is now using smartphones to identify early signs of seismic activity.
By analyzing motion sensors in millions of phones, the system can detect ground vibrations caused by earthquakes. When multiple phones in an area sense the same movement, alerts are automatically sent to nearby users.
During initial testing, the system successfully detected over 300 earthquakes in just one month. Most users who received alerts reported getting them before or during the shaking. This innovation offers a fast and affordable way to warn people seconds before a major quake strikes.
