Real-time earthquake warning for astronomical observatories

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development of real-time earthquake warning systems tailored for astronomical observatories, analyzing their vulnerability, warning time potential, and proposing optimal seismometer placements to enhance early alerts.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for assessing seismic risk at observatories and suggests strategic seismometer placements to improve early warning capabilities.

Findings

Astronomical facilities are highly susceptible to seismic events.

Current seismic networks can provide some warning times for observatories.

Optimal seismometer placement can significantly enhance early warning effectiveness.

Abstract

Early earthquake warning is a rapidly developing capability that has significant ramifications for many fields, including astronomical observatories. In this work, we describe the susceptibility of astronomical facilities to seismic events, including large telescopes as well as second-generation ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers. We describe the potential warning times for observatories from current seismic networks and propose locations for future seismometers to maximize warning times.