Preseismic TEC Changes for Tohoku-Oki Earthquake : Comparisons Between Simulations and Observations

Heki (2011) reported that the Japanese Global Positioning System (GPS) dense network detected a precursory positive total electron content anomaly (TEC), with ΔTEC ~3 TECU, ~40 minutes before the Tohoku-Oki earthquake (Mw 9.0). Similar preseismic TEC anomalies were also observed in the 2010 Chile earthquake (Mw 8.8), 2004 Sumatra-Andaman (Mw 9.2) and the 1994 Hokkaido-Toho-Oki (Mw 8.3). In this paper we apply our improved lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere (LAI) coupling model to compute the TEC variations and compare the simulation results with the reported TEC observations. For the Tohoku-Oki earthquake simulations we assumed that the stressed associated current started ~40 minutes before the earthquake, linearly increased and reached its maximum magnitude at the time of the earthquake main shock. It is suggested that a dynamo current density of ~25 nA m-2 is required to produce the observed ΔTEC ~3 TECU.

[1]  Cheng-Ling Kuo,et al.  Ionosphere plasma bubbles and density variations induced by pre‐earthquake rock currents and associated surface charges , 2011 .

[2]  F. Freund.  Toward a unified solid state theory for pre-earthquake signals , 2010 .

[3]  Chien-Hung Lin,et al.  Seismoionospheric GPS total electron content anomalies observed before the 12 May 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake , 2009 .

[4]  Y. J. Chuo,et al.  Variations of ionospheric total electron content during the Chi‐Chi Earthquake , 2001 .

[5]  J. Bernard Minster,et al.  GPS detection of ionospheric perturbations following the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake , 1995 .

[6]  M. Hayakawa,et al.  A statistical study on the correlation between lower ionospheric perturbations as seen by subionospheric VLF/LF propagation and earthquakes , 2010, 2011 XXXth URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium.

[7]  Dimitar Ouzounov,et al.  Mid-infrared emission prior to strong earthquakes analyzed by remote sensing data , 2004 .

[8]  J. Huba,et al.  Three‐dimensional equatorial spread F modeling: Zonal neutral wind effects , 2009 .

[9]  S. Asai,et al.  The observation of Doppler shifts of subionospheric LF signal in possible association with earthquakes , 2012 .

[10]  S. Pulinets,et al.  Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) Model - An Unified Concept for Earthquake Precursors Validation , 2011 .

[11]  Jann‐Yenq Liu,et al.  Ionospheric disturbances triggered by the 11 March 2011 M9.0 Tohoku earthquake , 2011 .

[12]  C. Park,et al.  Penetration of thundercloud electric fields into the ionosphere and magnetosphere: 1. Middle and subauroral latitudes , 1973 .

[13]  David Gleicher.  A Statistical Study , 2006 .

[14]  Yuji Enomoto,et al.  Preseismic ionospheric electron enhancements revisited , 2013 .

[15]  Yi-Ben Tsai,et al.  Seismo‐ionospheric signatures prior to M≥6.0 Taiwan earthquakes , 2000 .

[16]  J. Fedder,et al.  Ion and electron temperature evolution during equatorial spread F , 2009 .

[17]  K. Heki.  Ionospheric electron enhancement preceding the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake , 2011 .

[18]  Cheng-Ling Kuo,et al.  An improved coupling model for the lithosphere‐atmosphere‐ionosphere system , 2014 .

[19]  Libo Liu,et al.  Is an unusual large enhancement of ionospheric electron density linked with the 2008 great Wenchuan earthquake , 2008 .

[20]  J. Huba,et al.  Atomic and molecular ion dynamics during equatorial spread F , 2009 .

[21]  Yi-Ben Tsai,et al.  Pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies registered by continuous GPS TEC measurements , 2004 .

[22]  Dimitar Ouzounov,et al.  Satellite thermal IR phenomena associated with some of the major earthquakes in 1999–2003 , 2006 .

[23]  S. Pulinets,et al.  Ionospheric precursors of earthquakes , 2004 .

[24]  J. Huba,et al.  Three‐dimensional equatorial spread F modeling , 2008 .