We just spent nine fun-filled days in Los Angeles with my west coast family. I have been visiting LA since 1954. In all that time, I have only experienced three or four minor earthquakes. Most of the time, I never think about it. However, it would be nice to know if one was coming. 

My West Coast Cousins

Our Hotel Room At The Mondrian, West Hollywood

The View From Our Hotel Room

I  just found out that there is a new app from the seismologists at UC Berkeley, called MyShake, “that monitors for seismic activity, both watching for earthquakes and warning users if one is underway.” Almost 200,000 prople have downloaded the app in just a few short months.

The app can detect earth waves and is capable of recording magnitude 2.5 and larger. “MyShake also provides summaries of recent quakes all over the globe and shows you what historic ones would have looked like in your area.”

The basic idea behind the app is to prepare, survive and recover. Watch the video. The science used to develop the app is quite fascinating. Tech Crunch also covers the details.