With the recent swarm of earthquake activity at the Southern end of the San Andreas fault, some people may be feeling a bit helpless, wondering if the "big one" is around the corner. Today, thanks to a wealth of emerging technology, earthquakes are everyone's business, and you can become a part of the story.

The US Geological Survey is actively asking the public to become involved with the earthquake research business. They offer a series of online tools, including the USGS Community Internet Intensity Map, and the growing in popularity Did you Feel It? website. In the event of an earthquake the moves the ground under your feet, you're encouraged to log onto the Did you feel it? site. Your responses will be cataloged. This can prove to be extremely useful to scientists, who continue to labor around the missing link in earthquake science: prediction.

As an example, there have been a significant number of small quakes at the southern end of the San Andreas fault during the past week. Some people believe that a swarm of earthquakes is a prediction of a major quake. The southernmost end of the San Andreas has not suffered a major "rip" since 1690. As the San Andreas typically has significant seismic activity on every portion of it's state-wide length, many experts believe southern California is more than 150 years overdue for a major event.

One quake from earlier today (24 March) has already prompted more than 240 responses from residents in SoCal.

Mar 24 USGS Community Internet Intensity Map one event 3:55 UTC

Did you feel it earthquake center website

As you can see, there are some pretty interesting elements that are emerging as various agencies and experts dive into the earthquake research pie. In the midst of all of this, the major question remains: Are you prepared for a major earthquake?

Learn more about protecting your family.

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