A Dedicated Seismic Early Warning Network: The Mexican Seismic Alert System (SASMEX)

Abstract

Research Article| February 07, 2018 A Dedicated Seismic Early Warning Network: The Mexican Seismic Alert System (SASMEX) Gerardo Suárez; Gerardo Suárez aInstituto de Geofísica, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico, gerardo@geofisica.unam.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. M. Espinosa‐Aranda; J. M. Espinosa‐Aranda bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Armando Cuéllar; Armando Cuéllar bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gerardo Ibarrola; Gerardo Ibarrola bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Armando García; Armando García bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Martín Zavala; Martín Zavala bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Samuel Maldonado; Samuel Maldonado bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Roberto Islas Roberto Islas bCentro de Instrumentación y Registro Sísmico (CIRES), Anaxagoras 814, Colonia Narvarte, 03020 Mexico City, Mexico, maranda@unam.mxcuellara@cires.org.mx, g.ibarrola@cires-ac.mx, a.garcia@cires-ac.mxm.zavala@cires‐ac.mx, s.maldonado@cires-ac.mx, r.islas@cires-ac.mx Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Seismological Research Letters (2018) 89 (2A): 382–391. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170184 Article history first online: 07 Feb 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Gerardo Suárez, J. M. Espinosa‐Aranda, Armando Cuéllar, Gerardo Ibarrola, Armando García, Martín Zavala, Samuel Maldonado, Roberto Islas; A Dedicated Seismic Early Warning Network: The Mexican Seismic Alert System (SASMEX). Seismological Research Letters 2018;; 89 (2A): 382–391. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220170184 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search ABSTRACT The Mexican Seismic Alert System (SASMEX) initiated operations in 1993. It was the first to broadcast seismic early warnings to the general population. Today, SASMEX is composed of 97 monitoring stations that straddle practically the whole subduction zone of Mexico. The system also includes strong‐motion instruments that monitor the seismicity within the subducted Cocos plate. These earthquakes are located inland, close to the major population centers of Mexico. The monitoring stations are linked to control and distribution centers that receive, decode, and broadcast the alerts by a redundant telecommunications network. The dissemination of the early warning alerts is done through low‐cost radio receivers, subscribing television and radio stations, and, in Mexico City, by the system of municipal loudspeakers installed in the streets throughout the city. From 1993 to 2017, the network has recorded 6896 earthquakes and has issued 158 seismic early warnings. The more recent examples of successful seismic alerts are the two earthquakes that occurred in Mexico in September 2017. In the case of the great Tehuantepec earthquake of 7 September 2017 (⁠Mw 8.2), SASMEX gave almost 2 min of warning prior to the arrival of the strong‐motion seismic waves in Mexico City. The second case was the Morelos earthquake of 19 September 2017 (⁠Mw 7.1). The short epicentral distance to Mexico City of ∼120 km allowed only few seconds of warning prior to the arrival of the S waves. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.