ANDROID PHONES TO TRACK QUAKES; CALIFORNIA GETS ALERT SYSTEM

Android phones will be used to sense earthquakes around the world and may one day be able to provide global warnings, with the first mass alert system unveiled this week in California, Google announced.

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Google, which helped develop Android, worked with California and the U.S. Geological Survey to build the quake alerts into all phones that run the commonplace mobile operating system. Android users who have enabled location services and are near a quake of magnitude 4.5 or greater will receive a full-screen earthquake warning telling them to drop to the floor and seek cover.

The screen also will provide estimates of the quake’s magnitude and distance from the user.

The alert is based on the projected shaking at a particular location and a certain level of intensity. Depending on their distance from a quake, people could get several seconds or perhaps a minute of warning.