Contact Information: CONTACT: Tom Bleier VP and Chief Technology Officer QuakeFinder LLC Phone: (650) 473-9870 Fax: (650) 473-9867 http://www.quakefinder.com
A Promising International Handshake -- First Earthquake Electromagnetic Sensors Installed in South America
| Source: Stellar Solutions
PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - October 30, 2009) - QuakeFinder, a humanitarian organization that
conducts earthquake research, has just created the first international
benchmark with the installation of a pair of monitoring stations in the
Chincha Alta and Tacna areas of Peru. These areas are particularly
sensitive as evidenced in a recent magnitude 8 quake that caused hundreds
of deaths and untold damage to property and buildings, and where earthquake
records indicate that another large quake may be happening soon.
QuakeFinder monitors naturally occurring earthquake precursors in order to
develop an early warning system much as what already exists with hurricane
warnings. The two Peru sensors will add to the existing network of 65
magnetometers and air conductivity sensors installed along the major faults
in California. The higher the number of sensors, the higher the likelihood
of capturing the data and gaining insight into what is happening in the
earth's crust. QuakeFinder entered collaboration with the Pontificia
Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP), the leading institution in the
country, for the installation of the two Ultra low Frequency-ULF
magnetometers. PUCP students were active participants, providing both brain
and brawn, and proudly claiming the first seismo-electromagnetic monitoring
system in South America.
"We work on the hypothesis that there may be a sequence of electromagnetic
signals that occur around two weeks prior to large earthquakes," says Tom
Bleier, VP and Chief Technology Officer of QuakeFinder, "the installation
of the first two sensors in Peru is the first step in a long-term expansion
of the network. The more sensors we can place along the critical areas the
more likely we are to capture large activity near those sensors to provide
more proof."
In recent months there has been encouraging findings that support the
QuakeFinder hypothesis. In order to confirm any findings, however, there
needs to be an increase in the density of the network of sensors. Peru is a
solid step in the right direction. QuakeFinder is working towards
additional collaborations with other countries along the Pacific "Ring of
Fire," and in countries like Columbia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, China, as
well as near other faults in Turkey, Italy, and others. Providing
additional corroboration of their research could mean that some earthquakes
could be forecasted and emergency services could be alerted before the
disaster strikes.
For additional information on the ongoing research that is the subject of
this release contact Tom Bleier or visit www.quakefinder.com.
About QuakeFinder
QuakeFinder, the Humanitarian R&D division of Stellar Solutions located in
Palo Alto, CA, conducts pioneering research in the area of earthquake
forecasting with the ultimate aim to develop, within the next decade, a
global warning system of imminent destructive earthquakes. For more
information visit www.quakefinder.com
About Stellar Solutions, Inc
Stellar Solutions is an aerospace engineering services firm that provides
technical expertise in diverse defense and intelligence related projects,
commercial telecommunications and imagery satellite systems, and NASA's
planetary and earth science missions. Their high-caliber team of aerospace
professionals holds decades of applied mission experience within a culture
focused on satisfying the critical needs of their global customers. They
have offices in major space development and operational hubs -- California,
Colorado and the Washington DC area and also in London through their sister
company Stellar Solutions Aerospace Ltd. For more information visit
www.stellarsolutions.com