Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Lower Ionosphere and Tectonic Processes on Earth

  • Published:
Geomagnetism and Aeronomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The subject of our study is the possible relationships between the state of the lower ionosphere and tectonic events on Earth during episodes of high solar activity. There is evidence that during such episodes, electrical interactions between the lower ionosphere (layers D and E), the Earth’s surface, and the lithosphere can play an important role in triggering seismic or volcanic events, if the geological objects involved are close to the near-critical state. As examples, we consider three strong earthquakes that occurred during solar cycle 24 (SC24 according to the Zurich classification) and the possibility of their initiation by strong solar flares and related events (sudden ionospheric disturbances, SIDs): 1. The Mexican earthquake (M = 8.1) on September 7–8, 2017; 2. The Chilean earthquake (M = 8.1) of April 1, 2014, and 3. The Japanese earthquake of November 3, 2011. The possibility of using indirect data to study solar flare–ionospheric triggers of large earthquakes that occurred after 1874 A.D. is discussed. This indirect information refers to the areas of sunspot groups, their morphology types, and apparent locations on the solar disk for the corresponding dates. The Chirpan earthquake of April 14, 1928 is given as an example. The inverse piezoelectric effect is one of the most possible physical mechanisms to explain the identified patterns. The possibility of using SID monitor (VLF) data to study these phenomena is briefly discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Heki K., Ionospheric electron enhancement preceding the 2011 Tohoku Oki earthquake, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2011, vol. 38, no. 17. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL047908

  2. Kamogawa, M., Preseismic lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling, EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 2006, vol. 87, no. 40.

  3. Komitov, B. and Kaftan, V., “Danjon effect”, solar–triggered volcanic activity and relation to climate change, Russ. J. Earth Sci., 2022, vol. 22, ES6005. https://doi.org/10.2205/2022ES000803

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Komitov, B. and Stoychev, K., Stratospheric ozone, solar activity and volcanism, Bulg. Astron., 2011, vol. 17, no. 118.

  5. Kuo, C.L., Lee, L.C., and Huba, J.D., An improved coupling model for the lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere system, J. Geophys. Res.: Space Phys., 2014, vol. 119, pp. 3189–3205. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JA019392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Martichelli, V., Harabaglia, P., Troise, C., and De Natale, G., On the correlation between solar activity and large earthquakes worldwide, Sci. Rep., 2020, vol. 10, p. 11495. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-67860-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Rogozhin, Yu.A. and Shestopalov, I.P., Secular cycles of the Earth’s seismicity and seismic safety of nuclear power plants, At. Strategiya, 2007, no. 29.

  8. Smith, C., Gaudin, D., Van Eaton, A., et al., Impulsive volcanic plumes generate volcanic lightning and vent discharges: A statistical analysis of Sakurajima volcano in 2015, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2020, vol. 48, no. 11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL092323

  9. Stotchers, R.B., Volcanic eruptions and solar activity, J. Geophys. Res., 1989, vol. 94, no. B12, p. 371.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Svensmark, H. and Friis-Christensen, E., Variation of cosmic ray flux and global cloud coverage: A missing link in solar–climate relationships, J. Atmos. Sol. Terr. Phys., 1997, vol. 59, pp. 1225–1232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Yu F., Altitude variations of cosmic ray induced production of aerosols: Implications for global cloudiness and climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2002, vol. 107, no. A7.

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by the State Tasks of the Institute of Astronomy and the National Astronomical Observatory of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatory, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria

    B. P. Komitov

  2. Geophysical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    V. I. Kaftan

Authors
  1. B. P. Komitov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. I. Kaftan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to B. P. Komitov or V. I. Kaftan.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Translated by O. Pismenov

Publisher’s Note.

Pleiades Publishing remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Komitov, B.P., Kaftan, V.I. The Lower Ionosphere and Tectonic Processes on Earth. Geomagn. Aeron. 63, 1038–1046 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793223070137

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793223070137

Search

Navigation