Anyone with a laptop computer that contains an accelerometer chip can enlist in a new wide-ranging earthquake early-warning detection network called Quake-Catcher.

Basically, when an earthquake hits, computers linked with special software through the Quake Catcher Network automatically report the shaking. If scientists suddenly get reports from many sensors, they can better understand the nature of the event.

QCN was designed by Stanford University geophysicist Jesse Lawrence and University of California – Riverside earth scientist Elizabeth Cochran. Lawrence told Homeland1 that QCN is important because it increases the number of real-time seismic sensors at extremely low cost.

IBM Thinkpad laptops and notebooks have included accelerometers for over five years, Macintosh laptops for three, and HP models for two. Research-grade earthquake sensors normally cost between $10,000 and $100,000.

Accelerometer chips are added to laptops as a safety feature. In cas the computer is dropped, the chip detects the change in acceleration and parks the hard drive to prevent the disk from crashing. Those with older laptops or any desktops who are interested in joining QCN can purchase motion sensors for about $49.

“With thousands of sensors in the near future, the network will be able to detect large earthquakes more reliably and faster than before,” Lawrence said. QCN had just over 1,800 sensors enlisted as of Jan. 31.

Lawrence believes that if earthquakes can be detected more quickly and more reliably, it may one day be possible to provide early warning to people in advance of the most damaging seismic waves, an important element in disaster preparedness.

"The large amount of new data provided by QCN will eventually show scientists how large earthquakes work with unprecedented detail,” Lawrence said. "With thousands of records, we'll be able to track data back onto the fault, and virtually watch the earthquake rupture from initiation to completion."

With QCN, scientists will also have unprecedented characterization of the subsurface and how it focuses energy in some regions, causing greater shaking, and defocuses energy in other areas, causing less shaking. "This is critical for focusing the efforts of rapid response teams after a large earthquake," Lawrence said.

QCN got a live test in January when a 4.5-magnitude temblor shook San Bernardino, Calif. Nine QCN sensors within the area reported the incident within seconds, allowing researchers to better calibrate the various types of sensors being used.

"As the network grows, we will continue to calibrate the network, so that we can more quickly and reliably distinguish large earthquakes from small earthquakes," Lawrence said.

The free QCN software is available at http://qcn.stanford.edu/. QCN uses BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) to distribute the software and manage the application for users.