Continuous gas monitoring in the West Bohemian earthquake area, Czech Republic: First results

Abstract

Two stations monitoring concentrations of carbon dioxide and radon in soil gas (Oldřišská and Nový Kostel) and one station monitoring flow of carbon dioxide at a mofette (Soos) have been operated in the area of the West Bohemian earthquake swarms. We present preliminary results obtained on the base of four-year observations. We found that data are not influenced considerably by barometric pressure. Although the CO₂ concentration varies greatly, the long-term trends at stations Oldřišská and Nový Kostel are similar, which indicates that the CO₂ flow is controlled by common geogenic processes. Also temporal trends of CO₂ and Rn concentrations in soil gas at individual stations are analogous. We found diurnal variations of both CO₂ concentration in soil gas and the CO₂ flow at mofettes due to the earth tides. A response to tides of semi-diurnal period is insignificant in CO₂ concentration and only weak in the CO₂ flow. We also examined possible pre-seismic, co-seismic and post-seismic effects of the intensive 2008 earthquake swarm on the CO₂ concentration at Oldřišská and Nový Kostel, and on the CO₂ flow at Soos. However, all potential indications were insignificant and there has not been proven any influence of the swarm on the CO₂ concentration as well as on the CO₂ flow. Nevertheless, a gradual decrease of amplitudes of diurnal variations before the swarm and the lowest amplitudes during the swarm is a noteworthy phenomenon, which might indicate the strain changes of the rock associated with earthquake swarm.