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Satellite detection of earthquake thermal infrared precursors in Iran

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Abstract

Stress accumulated in rocks in tectonically active areas may manifest itself as electromagnetic radiation emission and temperature variation through a process of energy transformation. Land surface temperature (LST) changes before an impending earthquake can be detected with thermal infrared (TIR) sensors such as NOAA-AVHRR, Terra/Aqua-MODIS, etc. TIR anomalies produced by 10 recent earthquakes in Iran during the period of Jun 2002–Jun 2006 in the tectonically active belt have been studied using pre- and post-earthquake NOAA-AVHRR datasets. Data analysis revealed a transient TIR rise in LST ranging 2–13°C in and around epicentral areas. The thermal anomalies started developing about 1–10 days prior to the main event depending upon the magnitude and focal depth, and disappeared after the main shock. In the case of moderate earthquakes (<6 magnitude) a dual thermal peak instead of the single rise has been observed. This may lead us to understand that perhaps pre-event sporadic release of energy from stressed rocks leads to a reduction in magnitude of the main shock. This TIR temperature increment prior to an impending earthquake can be attributed to degassing from rocks under stress or to p-hole activation in the stressed rock volume and their further recombination at the rock–air interface. A precise correlation of LST maps of Bam and Zarand with InSAR-generated deformation maps also provides evidence that the thermal anomaly is a ground-related phenomenon, not an atmospheric one.

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Acknowledgement

We are greatly indebted to the Department of Science and Technology (Seismology Division), New Delhi, for financial assistance.

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Author notes

  1. Swapnamita Choudhury

    Present address: Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, India

  2. Santosh K. Panda

    Present address: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, USA

  3. Sudipta Dasgupta

    Present address: Reliance Industries Ltd., Navi Mumbai, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India

    Arun K. Saraf, Vineeta Rawat, Priyanka Banerjee, Swapnamita Choudhury, Santosh K. Panda, Sudipta Dasgupta & J. D. Das

  2. Department of Earthquake Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India

    J. D. Das

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  1. Arun K. Saraf
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  2. Vineeta Rawat
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  3. Priyanka Banerjee
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  4. Swapnamita Choudhury
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  5. Santosh K. Panda
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  6. Sudipta Dasgupta
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Correspondence to Arun K. Saraf.

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Saraf, A.K., Rawat, V., Banerjee, P. et al. Satellite detection of earthquake thermal infrared precursors in Iran. Nat Hazards 47, 119–135 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-007-9201-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-007-9201-7

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