Periodic electromagnetic signals as potential precursor for seismic activity

Abstract

Electromagnetic signals may be a promising precursor to seismic activity which has been observed in many case studies in past decades. However, the correlation and causation between the electromagnetic signals and the seismic activity are still unclear without intensive observation network. In order to find seismoelectromagnetic phenomenon, we deployed AETA (acoustic and electromagnetic testing all-in-one system), a high-density multi-component seismic monitoring system in the China Earthquake Science Experiment site (CESE, in Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province, China) and the capital circle (areas with a distance which is ≤200 km from Beijing), to record electromagnetic and geo-acoustic data across 0.1 Hz–10 kHz. In the course of data collection, we discovered an electromagnetic waveform that occurs on a daily basis. Because the signal generally coincides with sunrise and sunset, we named this phenomenon the SRSS (Sunrise-Sunset) waveform. After conducting three statistical tests based on seismicity and SRSS, we determined that the SRSS waveform is roughly correlated with the onset of seismic activity. It generally occurs at the regions where seismicity occurs. This discovery might have significant implications with respect to the future of earthquake prediction.

Keywords

seismic precursor / periodic electromagnetic signal / Sunrise-Sunset (SRSS) waveform

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