China has launched the world's largest earthquake early warning network, known as the National Earthquake Intensity Rapid Reporting and Early Warning Project.
This system includes nearly 15,899 monitoring stations spread across the country, providing coverage for earthquake-prone areas. It can issue warnings within seconds of detecting an earthquake, giving the public valuable time to take precautionary measures before the more destructive waves arrive.
The project began in 2018 and has now entered full operation after completing construction and acceptance tests. The system's ability to issue alerts in an average of seven seconds in key areas, and between 10 to 30 seconds in other regions, is a significant improvement over previous methods that took minutes to report earthquake occurrences. The network can detect earthquakes as small as magnitude 2.0 in eastern regions and even smaller quakes in densely populated areas like Beijing and the Yangtze River Delta.
This advanced early warning system not only helps save lives by providing timely alerts but also integrates with critical infrastructure such as railways, power grids, and nuclear facilities to implement emergency responses. It marks a significant technological achievement, positioning China among the few countries capable of large-scale earthquake early warning.
