This website is on shaky ground
Where to find it: Maps of Recent Earthquake Activity in
California-Nevada
Mhttp://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latest.htm.
Who runs the site: U.S. Geological Survey’s Menlo Park office
runs the site. As the people charged with monitoring seismic
activity, USGS is the authoritative source for all things seismic.
The site updates within minutes of an earthquake, offering local
residents something to talk about besides the weather.
This website is on shaky ground
Where to find it: Maps of Recent Earthquake Activity in California-Nevada Mhttp://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latest.htm.
Who runs the site: U.S. Geological Survey’s Menlo Park office runs the site. As the people charged with monitoring seismic activity, USGS is the authoritative source for all things seismic. The site updates within minutes of an earthquake, offering local residents something to talk about besides the weather.
Who is likely to use the site: Anyone who has ever felt the earth move, office workers looking to settle the latest office quake pool, kids doing school reports.
Pros: The site is very dry and official looking, but it really comes into its own as users click the small boxes on the map that are color keyed to indicate occurring in the last hour, day or week. Bigger quakes get bigger boxes. Clicking on a box in the Hollister area brings up a more detailed map. Clicking on a quake box from there reveals detailed information about when the quake occurred, the exact location of its epicenter and even the depth of the quake.
The links down the left margin offer enough information for an ocean of school reports as well as explanations of what all the data means and how it’s generated.
The site also allows those who’ve felt an earthquake recently to add to the understanding of the phenomena. Users can enter information about their own location and how the quake felt to them.
The best thing about the site is that it’s actually something government offers people at no cost. When was the last time that happened?
Cons: The site is anything but entertaining in its appearance. It looks like it was designed by, well, scientists. And its internet address is so cumbersome that it’s nearly impossible to memorize it. Don’t bother. Just bookmark the site, because as long as you live in the Central Coast region, you’ll be visiting the site often.
On the plus side, even though the site looks boring, that lack of flashy artwork means it loads fast.
