Terrestrial outgoing infrared radiation as an indicator of seismic activity

Abstract

The analysis of satellite thermal images of the Earth's surface within the spectral range of 10.5-11.3 mkm has shown that over some linear structures of the Middle-Asian seismically active region there is observed a stable in time and space increasing intensity of the outgoing radiation flux as compared to contiguous blocks. A retrospective analysis of a continuous series of observations of the outgoing IR radiation flux has shown that in certain individual zones of some major tectonic dislocations there appear from time to time positive anomalies of IR radiation, for instance at the point of intersection of the Talasso-Ferghana and Tamdy-Tokrauss faults. These anomalies last from 2 to 10 days. The spontaneous anomalies are characterized by a pulsating variation of area. The space confinement and duration of these anomalies permit distinguishing theme noise anomalies caused by meteorological factors. The time of the appearance of these anomalies coincides with the activation of faults over which there has been detected an increase of the outgoing IR radiation flux. In 1984 the majority of crustal earthquakes, of a magnitude over 4, in the Tien Shan were accompanied by the appearance of a positive anomaly of the IR radiation at the point of the intersection of the faults. The area of anomalies was n*10000 km2. The most outstanding example of such activization is the Ghazli earthquake of 19.03.1984 M7.2. At the point of the intersection of the Tamdy-Tokrauss and Talasso- Ferghana faults there was detected on March 11 a positive anomaly of the outgoing IR radiation flux of exceptional intensity and enormous area (about 100 thousand km2). The subsequent earthquakes in the zone of the Tamdy-Tokrauss fault in the summer of 1984 of the magnitudes from 4.3 to 5.3 were also preceded by the appearance of a positive anomaly of the outgoing IR radiation at the point of intersection of the faults.