Early-warning system sent alert out 3 seconds before Southern California quake hit

The Shake Alert system.
(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

When a 4.4 magnitude temblor hit the Southern California city of La Verne on Tuesday evening, the state's earthquake early-warning system successfully notified users a few seconds before the shaking started.

The system is being developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, and just a few users have access to warnings now. One user, seismologist Lucy Jones, said she was in Pasadena, about 25 miles away from La Verne, when she received a warning, and three seconds later, felt shaking. In April, the system was able to give a 10 second warning ahead of a 5.3 magnitude quake in Los Angeles; the amount of warning time is dependent on how close a person is to the epicenter.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.