By Amina Khan
Earthquake early-warning systems may be due for a gravity boost. Scientists studying Japan’s 2011 Tohoku earthquake say they’ve found a faster method than seismic waves to tell when a temblor is on its way.
The findings, described in the journal Nature Communications, track the subtle gravitational shifts that can occur immediately after the initial rupture, and could help researchers design faster and more powerful warning technologies.
"This new paper is the first [observational evidence] that this phenomenon really happens,” said study coauthor Jean Paul Ampuero, a Caltech seismologist. “This is important because of the doors it opens for early warning.”
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