Question 1

I live in st. louis. how much warning would it give for a quake in new madrid, mo?

Accepted Answer

OK, so to answer this question, you need to first understand how the device itself works.  It's real simple.  There is a ring with an alarm and a pendulum hanging in the center of the ring.  What this device detects is two different types of waves, the sound wave and the shear wave.  This thing detects the sound wave pretty darn well but it also depends on the size and duration of the waves... you might hear a little ring for an insignificant but sizable quake, but a more pronounced alarm when the wave is significant in both size and duration.  The sound wave will travel through solid objects and cause the pendulum to swing and contact the ring which makes the alarm sound, the 9V batter lasts for quite a long time because the circuit is normally open and does not allow for leakage current.  The waves start from the epicenter so it depends on where the fault erupts, to calculate the time of warning and technically speaking no one can precisely provide an answer of how much warning this device or any other device would give.  The New Madrid fault is a real threat to quite a few largely populous cities and it closely follow the western Tennessee border and while it does not point either end directly at St. Louis, Earthquakes are circular and St. Louis is probably anywhere between 70 and 150 miles from the closest measurement to the fault.  If the fault were to erupt at the southern point, you would get more time to get to cover.  If it were to erupt on the northern point of the fault, your probably looking at under 5-10 seconds if your lucky but in that time, you become ahead of the game and now when the shear wave hits your already in reaction mode... to that point... The second wave is the shear wave or the shaking.  when the shaking starts, the device will start going crazy and constantly sounding.  Honestly, it is largely confirming that you are feeling a quake and not something else...   I live within sight of the San Andreas Fault and have had this device in my home for years.  I can tell you first hand that it absolutely does work but it won't trip for small quakes that wouldn't cause damage i think the lowest setting is about a 5.0 or so...  which i have experienced while only a few feet from the device so i could visually see what happened.  It was a 5 seconds warning for a 5.0 quake about 60 miles away but it provided immediate confirmation that the slightly sea sick feeling we experience as humans from the sound wave... If you don't have one... Get 2... if you have one, get another... Best advise i can give to anyone living close to a fault or concerned they will be caught off guard by a quake... this should be as mandatory as a smoke detector in your area...

Question 2

how loud is the alarm?  do you have one of these on each floor of the house?  one in each bedroom?  only one in the whole house?  thanks.

Accepted Answer

Hi,  the alarm is a simple chiming buzz,  it plays following the mechanical contact of the swinging pendulum against  the adjacent metal frame (frame has an adjustable width in order to set the right sensitivity you wish).I think the alarm "sound pressure" is sufficient just in these two circumstances :1) If you are awake and around 6-7 meters from the device 2) If you are sleeping and the device is set close to your bed (within 1-2 meters) in my case I fixed it on the wall, half meter far from my bed, so that it will be able to wake me up. (consider that I live in apartment so it is a single-floor home. It is a 100mq. apartment, not a huge apartment. For  my application I think it works fine) Being the buzzer-contact activated by a mechanical way you have the advantage the battery charge will not be used unless the quake happens. Battery will be ready for long time (will discharge just for "oldness")

Question 3

I live in MN where a huge quake could occur in eastern MO, and past ones have been felt further than where I am. Could this help in my situation?

Accepted Answer

YES this is the BEST case for this device.Let me be more clear.If the main focus of another giant New Madrid/MO earthquake is in MO and you are say 450 miles away (St Louis,MO to Rochester, MN border is 450 miles according to google) the earthquake alarm would feel the p waves at least 2 to 3 MINUTES (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Facademics.concord.edu%2Fsckuehn%2FVirtualEarthquake.pdf&ei=4Y8rUpzpNoLM9ATvzYHABA&usg=AFQjCNHc6KVy0i2IpMfXYFUnIBYsQFwWMA&bvm=bv.51773540,d.eWU) before you would otherwise feel the major shaking thus it would give you time to do something - wake up, get outside, get a door open so you aren't trapped inside etc. It works BEST in situations like yours when there is a large quake that is further away because it then gives you the MOST time warning before the later big rolling waves that will hurt you will follow.IT works LEAST well when the quake originates right under your house becuase then both waves hit you at nearly the same instant.since we know the eastern US feels the effects of New Madrid quakes far more than Los Angeles feels the effects of closer quakes we know that Earthquake damage in the Middle of america and the East could be strong as far away as MO.(the New Madrid quake rang church bells in Boston!)

Question 4

I live in Oregon where we have a 37% chance of a magnitude 9 or greater earthquake striking within the next 50 years. Approximately 50 miles off the Oregon coast is the Cascadia Subduction Zone where in January 29, 1700 a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred. They occur on average approximately once every 250 years and the …

Accepted Answer

today is 1/29/18, and I've read that there is now 14% chance for the 9 or greater quake within next 50 years. But Nature lives by it's own rules, and it could happen at any moment. A device like this is valuable even if you only get 10 seconds notice. That 10 seconds could save lives. Definitely get this device, and apply it to a solid post that is connected to the ground.  By the way, over the last 10,000 years, the mega quakes are averaged to occur at approx 500 years apart, with significant but smaller magnatude quakes spaced in between those largest ones. But keep in mind that although some mega quakes were  spaced as much as about 1,000 years apart, there were others that were only in the 200's apart, so better to be prepared in case we experience one of the shorter intervals. Who's to say for sure.

Manufacturer	Jds Products
Part Number	QA-2000
Product Dimensions	5.08 x 12.7 x 17.78 cm; 240 g
Item model number	c-88quake
Style	Classic
Power Source	Battery Powered
Item Package Quantity	1
Batteries included?	No
Batteries Required?	Yes
Item Weight	240 g

Earthquake Alarm

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