The Atlantic

The Smartphone App That Tells You An Earthquake Is About to Hit

A deadly quake in Central Mexico on Tuesday was yet another test for the country’s sophisticated earthquake warning system.
Source: Rebecca Blackwell / AP

Updated at 8:04 a.m. ET

More than 200 people are dead after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico on Tuesday, the anniversary of the 1985 quake that killed at least 5,000 people. It was the second major earthquake in the region this month. Just 12 days ago, Mexico City’s earthquake-warning sirens blared ahead of an 8.1-magnitude temblor—and many Mexicans reacted as they are by now accustomed to when the alarm went off Tuesday.

The warning system, which has been in place

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