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Variations in Electrical Characteristics of Near-Surface Atmosphere during Strong Earthquakes: Observation Results

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Abstract—Variations in the vertical electric field and atmospheric current in the near-surface atmosphere, accompanying strong earthquakes, are analyzed. The analysis is based on the data of the Center for Geophysical Monitoring in Moscow (CGM) and Geophysical observatory “Mikhnevo” of the Sadovsky Institute of Geosphere Dynamics of Russian Academy of Sciences (IDG RAS). We considered seismic events that occurred when the electric field and atmospheric current were not disturbed by anthropogenic sources and natural impacts unrelated to earthquakes. It is noted that the earthquakes are accompanied by the increased local variations in the electric field in the period of arrival of seismic waves at the observation point and variations associated with the source region of the seismic event. In the latter case, the effect appears as a bay-like decrease and increase and as alternating variations in the vertical gradient of the electric potential. Simultaneously, the earthquakes are accompanied by the increased variations in the atmospheric current. For the first time it is shown that the main shock is accompanied by the increased variations in the electrical characteristics of the near-surface atmosphere at significant distances from the seismic source.

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Notes

  1. And other seismic events, e.g., mass explosions in quarries.

  2. The maximum amplitude E* is the maximum deviation of Еz value after the main shock relative to the trend calculated by the method described in (Bakhmutskii, 2011).

  3. The beginning of the induced variation was determined by a sharp change in the Ez(t) amplitude against background trend (Hatton et al., 1989); the end was determined by the rise of the variation to its background values.

  4. The period was defined as a regular interval in which the Ez(t) values repeated.

  5. The linear regression equation and its confidence interval were    calculated using the method described in (Riabova, 2020).

  6. The beginning of induced variations was determined by a sharp change in the amplitude of Ez(t) against background trend (Hatton et al., 1989).

  7. For example, for the events accompanied by alternating Ez variations, distances R range from 2331 to 14 948 km.

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The study was carried out under state contract (projects nos. AAAA-A-19-119021890067-0 and 0146-2019-0009).

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Riabova, S.A., Spivak, A.A. Variations in Electrical Characteristics of Near-Surface Atmosphere during Strong Earthquakes: Observation Results. Izv., Phys. Solid Earth 57, 547–558 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1069351321040078

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