Caltech Gets $1-Million Grant for Quake Detection

The Atlantic Richfield Co. has awarded a $1-million grant to help Caltech install a new system for determining the severity and location of earthquakes, the company said.

The system, called Terrascope, will consist of a network of detection stations in Southern California that will transmit information about temblors to Caltech’s seismological laboratory in Pasadena.

The system’s first phase of Terrascope is in operation, with five stations built around heavily populated areas. The second phase, to be completed within two years, will add six stations, Arco said. Information from the stations will help scientists and emergency service personnel determine which areas are most severely damaged by quakes.