Western China has built the world's largest earthquake early warning system network

Source(s): SOLUZION Systems - Verus Vicis Soluzion Consortio LLP

By Zhou Didi and Liu Yanjun (China news agency, Chengdu )

Institute of Care-life, Chengdu, which is supported by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, China Earthquake Administration and Sichuan Bureau of Science and Technology , has set up the earthquake early warning system covering an area of 400,000 square kilometres which should compared with the earthquake early warning system in Japan that covers an area of 377, 000 square kilometres. This means that it owns the largest EEWS in the world.

It is understood that the total value of the ICL EEWS is 160 million. ICL EEWS consists of 1213 seismic sensors deployed in eight provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan,Yunnan,etc. EEW centres, as well as EEW receivers. ICL EEWS can provide EEW service to High-speed railway, subway, Chemistry factories, nuclear stations, etc. to save lives and reduce secondary disasters. The area covered by EEWS and its surrounding area will benefit from EEWS.

According to Ph.D Tun Wang, who is the director of Institute of Care-life, ICL EEWS is initiated by 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and owns completely independent Intellectual property rights. ICL EEWS is the only EEW system which passed scientific and technological appraisal in Sept. 2nd, 2012.

Since June 7th, 2012, over 1200 earthquakes, with some of them to be destructive quakes have triggered the ICL EEWS with no false alert. ICL EEWS trigged by an earthquake magnitude 4.9 in Yunnan province on Feb. 19th, 2013. It gave 73 seconds of EEW time for Chengdu.

According to Ph.D Tun Wang, once an earthquake occurs, it takes 7.0 seconds for the ICL EEWS to publish the earthquake warning information. However, it takes 9.0 seconds to publish the earthquake warning information in Japan.

The radius of blind zone is the most critical indicators of EEWS. The radius of blind zone of ICL EEWS is about 25 kilometers. However, the radius of blind zone of the earthquake early warning system in Japan is 30 kilometers.

Institute of Care-life, Chengdu has developed a whole earthquake early warning technology system. EEW messages have been distributed by computers, smart phones, television and special receivers. ICL EEWS has function of rapid intensity reporting. It can report the intensity distribution caused by a quake. The emergency department can thus make decisions for rescues.

May 7th to 11th Earthquake Early Warning Ssystem Conference and Introducing the New China EW System, organized by Sichuan Bureau of Science and Technology Emergency Management Office of Sichuan Province Sichuan Institute of Administration, hosted by Institute of Care-life, China amd the Chengdu Earthquake Administration

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Hazards Earthquake
Themes Early warning
Country and region China
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