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Relationship between earthquake dilatancy and electric precursor phenomena

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Abstract

The nature of electromagnetic phenomena before an earthquake is associated with the excitation of the natural electromechanical transformation. This study investigated the impact of the relationship between the stress–strain and the dilatancy process on the electromagnetic phenomena and evaluated the relationship between electromagnetic changes and the seismogenic process. The impact of the change of the crustal stress field over time on the resistivity was analyzed. The ground displacement and pore pressure variation were calculated to simulate the variation characteristics of pre-earthquake electromagnetic waves according to stress. The changes in the crustal rock resistivity caused by the change in the crack aspect ratio due to the stress field were investigated as were the impacts of the dilatancy process on the waveform characteristics and frequency range of the electromagnetic signals. The relationships between the frequency and amplitude of electromagnetic radiation and the epicentral distance and strain were obtained. Apparent resistivity changes under small strain during the dilatancy stage of an impending earthquake are closely related to the voidage change. The rapid development and interconnections of microfissures and conductive fluid activity are the major causes of electrical change. The electromagnetic radiation frequency increases with the elastic modulus and decreases with the hypocenter size and intensity. The accumulation and release of the typical strain associated with major earthquakes give rise to a change in the medium resistivity, which in turn significantly changes the apparent resistivity. The crustal resistivity change may provide a sensitive method for studying the crustal properties during the dilatancy.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Fund (1204402) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (D2014512006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Disaster Prevention, No. 4 Chengshousi Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 101601, China

    Wei Wang

  2. Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, 100029, China

    Wei Wang, Jianxin Shan & Juntao Cai

  3. Tsinghua University, Beijing, 10084, China

    Zhensong Ni

Authors
  1. Wei Wang
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  2. Jianxin Shan
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  3. Zhensong Ni
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  4. Juntao Cai
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Correspondence to Wei Wang.

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Wang, W., Shan, J., Ni, Z. et al. Relationship between earthquake dilatancy and electric precursor phenomena. Nat Hazards 79, 249–262 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1839-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1839-y

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