The Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) announces the development of a pager-based earthquake information system. This system, named RACE (Rapid Alert for Cascadia Earthquakes) will make preliminary location and magnitude estimates available within minutes after an earthquake.

Over the past several years the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN) has been developing the capability to provide rapid information about Cascadia earthquakes. An earlier version of the RACE system has been in use for several years by the PNSN staff to page seismologists when our automatic system detects earthquakes likely to be felt. The reliability of this system and improvements in pager technology now allow us to broadcast basic information to multiple users using a commercial paging system.

A test of the RACE system is now underway at the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) in Portland, OR to help them provide public information following felt earthquakes. The system being tested at DOGAMI uses a pager attached to a PC to display a map indicating the position of regional earthquake.
Sample display map of recent PNSN earthquake activity - 3 earthquakes magnitude 4.0 or larger quakes in 1997.
Similar information can be broadcast to hand-held pagers.

The RACE system is part of a larger development effort underway at the PNSN to provide more and better information about earthquakes and earthquake hazards to scientists, engineers, emergency management groups, critical facility operators, the press and general public. Other specific efforts currently underway include:

• Upgrade of several seismographs in the coastal parts of Oregon and Washington, and computer and communications facilities to help with the rapid detection and interpretation of earthquakes which could generate dangerous tsunamis (seismic sea-waves).
• Install additional seismograph stations on and near several Cascade volcanos to help with the early detection of volcanic unrest or landslides.
• Upgrade and install new strong-motion seismographs in the Puget Sound and Portland urban areas to provide strong ground motion data during potentially damaging earthquakes. These data will be useful for the rapid assessment of damage by emergency managers and to engineers.

The PNSN also provides rapid information over the Internet via e-mail and WEB pages and notifies emergency management organizations via automatic FAX. The PNSN WEB-address is http://www.ess.washington.edu/SEIS

The development of the RACE pager system for non-seismologists was assisted by technology developed at the Southern California Seismograph Network operated by Caltech and the US Geological Survey. The system there, called 'Caltech USGS Broadcast of Earthquakes' (CUBE) has been in successful operation for several years. The PNSN is operated from the Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. with cooperation from the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Batelle Richland Labs, and the USGS Cascade Volcano Observatory. Support for the operation of the PNSN comes from the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Energy, and the State of Washington. The development of RACE was also made possible by a grant from the Union Pacific Foundation.

For additional information about RACE or the PNSN contact:
Bill Steele (206 685-8180, E-mail: bill@ess.washington.edu)