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When the earth shakes in California, the first place you are likely to hear about it is on social media.

A screenshot from the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory shows the MyShake app, released for Android devices on Feb. 12, 2016.
A screenshot from the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory shows the MyShake app, released for Android devices on Feb. 12, 2016.

“Earthquake!” “Did you feel that?” “How big?” are common messages on Twitter and Facebook as Californians try to share information on their mobile phones in real time.

Now, UC Berkeley scientists are hoping to capture that sharing impulse in a massive science experiment: Using cellphones to detect earthquakes as soon as they start. They hope that by turning mobile phones into vast data collection points, they can quickly glean information about the quakes and warn those farther away from the epicenter that shaking is on the way.

On Friday, scientists unveiled an app that will test this idea with anyone around the world who wants to participate. Named MyShake, the free app, available on Google Android phones and at myshake.berkeley.edu, uses smartphone sensors to detect movement caused by an earthquake.

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