Early on March 3, people in Washington’s San Juan Islands and beyond were jolted awake by the rocking of a 4.5-magnitude earthquake. Centered on the southeast side of Orcas Island, it rattled windows across the region but fortunately caused no major damage and did not trigger a tsunami warning.
It did, however, trigger the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system — created by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN), headquartered at the University of Washington. The ShakeAlert system alerts smartphone users as soon as earthquake activity is detected — in this instance, via both the MyShake app and the Android operating system, delivering warnings to tens of thousands of users across the San Juans and in Bellingham and beyond.
“The ShakeAlert system automatically detects earthquakes instantly and activates delivery of warning messages to mobile devices,” said PNSN Director Harold Tobin. “This is the first earthquake in Washington that has triggered a live warning since ShakeAlert became available in 2021, and it worked very well.”
Not only does the MyShake app alert people to imminent shaking, but it also collects location and motion data to share with scientists, which can help improve earthquake research. Through the app, users can also share their own experiences — like their location, how much shaking is felt and where there’s any damage to buildings and roads nearby.
If the earthquake had been magnitude 5.0 or larger, ShakeAlert warnings would also have gone out to area mobile devices that receive Wireless Emergency Alert messages, like Amber Alerts and severe weather warnings. (The MyShake app and Android have a lower alerting threshold of magnitude 4.5.)
“Just a few seconds of advance warning may not sound like much, but it’s just enough time to stop and think, ‘What am I supposed to do in a quake?’ and take action. There’s clear evidence from other countries that smartphone earthquake warnings have saved lives and prevented injuries.”
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Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the states of Washington and Oregon, the PNSN is housed in the UW College of the Environment’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences. It’s a collaboration between the University of Washington, University of Oregon and USGS Seattle Field Office. The network monitors seismic and volcanic activity across the Pacific Northwest, working to lessen the potentially devastating effects by providing fast, accurate information to scientists, engineers, planners and the public.
Earthquakes are common in the Pacific Northwest and are a threat to people, business and infrastructure. The ShakeAlert warning system uses a network of over 1500 seismometers, including 700 in the Pacific Northwest, to measure earthquake movement in the ground. When a quake meets a set of specific criteria, the system is activated, sending alerts to smartphones across the region. An advance warning of even a few seconds can have a huge impact — people can move to safer locations away from windows and structures that may topple over, and critical processes like surgeries or the movement of trains can be halted or adjusted.
“Just a few seconds of advance warning may not sound like much, but it’s just enough time to stop and think, ‘What am I supposed to do in a quake?’ and take action,” said Tobin. “There’s clear evidence from other countries that smartphone earthquake warnings have saved lives and prevented injuries.”
A map of the Puget Sound in northern Washington and southern British Columbia shows the locations of the magnitude-4.5 earthquake (star) and seismometers that observed the event (triangles). Learn more from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
While this recent earthquake proved to be minor, the ability to test the early warning system is invaluable. “Fortunately this was only a mild earthquake that didn’t injure people, but it provided a real-world test of the warning system and it worked as intended,” said Tobin. “This really bolsters our confidence in the ShakeAlert system for future larger quakes.”
A few actions you can take now to be prepared for the next earthquake:
- iPhone and Android users can download the MyShake app, which delivers alerts and information from ShakeAlert. For Android users, ShakeAlert warnings are also built into the operating system.
- All cellphone users should check to make sure Wireless Emergency Alerts are enabled. ShakeAlert notifications will automatically push to all phones with this enabled (similar to an Amber Alert).
- In your home, make sure large furniture is strapped down or secured, and remove any frames or other items from above sleeping areas that could fall during an earthquake.
- Check out these safety videos on how to protect yourself in various settings during an earthquake.
Learn more about this 4.5-magnitude quake ...
and the successful live test of the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System right here in Washington state. This seismic event was small enough that it didn't cause significant damage, but large enough to provide a natural test of this potentially lifesaving technology.
Research Makes America
This story is part of Research Makes America — an ongoing effort by the University of Washington to demonstrate how research supported by federal funding drives innovation, opportunity, and national progress.
