kmiainfo: Changes in the Earth's magnetic field, albeit weak, may enable us to predict earthquakes Changes in the Earth's magnetic field, albeit weak, may enable us to predict earthquakes

Changes in the Earth's magnetic field, albeit weak, may enable us to predict earthquakes

Changes in the Earth's magnetic field, albeit weak, may enable us to predict earthquakes Although the signals of magnetic change may be faint, they are statistically significant, and seismologists hope their technology can be improved to help predict earthquakes in advance.  Earthquakes are among the most devastating natural phenomena for life and change the topography of the earth's crust. It can create cracks and swallow heights and create new heights, and the most dangerous thing about it is the inability of scientists to accurately predict the place and time of its occurrence; Which makes the resulting losses great, both in lives and property.  But the fact that scientists did not come up with ways to predict earthquakes does not mean that there are no geological changes and indicators before earthquakes occur and days before they occur. New research has revealed weak signs of changing the Earth’s magnetic field that occur a few days before earthquakes.  The statement - published on the website "Eos" (the journal of scientific news of the American Geophysical Union) - on the sixth of this October - states that researcher William Heflin and others found that the signal of the magnetic field change is faint, but it is statistically significant. Seismologists hope their technology can be improved to help predict earthquakes.  Changes in the magnetic field Researchers were studying medium and large earthquakes in California , when they discovered detectable changes in the local magnetic field that occur 2 and 3 days before the earthquake, and published their findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth).  This is not the first time that the idea of ​​changing the magnetic field before earthquakes has been raised, but it has always been controversial, as no "convincing evidence of a preliminary magnetic foreshadowing of earthquakes" has been proven, according to the US Geological Survey . "We don't claim that this signal is there before every earthquake, but it's very interesting," Dan Schneider, director of Quickfinder, of earthquake research at Stellar Solutions, a systems engineering services company, and one of the researchers involved in the study said in the press release. .  The Science Alert report on the research states that the hypotheses behind fluctuations in the magnetic field before earthquakes are reasonable enough, and some argue that the massive buildup of pressure in the crust before an earthquake could, in theory, change the properties of rock layers. enough to affect its conductivity, and other studies suggest pockets of trapped gases build up before they are released, creating the electrical currents needed to influence magnetic activity. Detecting the resulting ultra-low-frequency shifts in the magnetic field would give authorities a warning that something big is going to happen, freeing up time to prepare in the same way that communities might do to prepare for a hurricane.  Teaming up with the Google Accelerated Science team, the researchers harnessed magnetic field data from an array of magnetometers at 125 sensor stations along major faults. In California, they collected data for the period between 2005 and 2019, when 19 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater occurred.  Elimination of noise The two teams' multi-stage analysis took into account other types of influences on magnetometers unrelated to earthquakes, such as momentum times or small shifts in solar activity. Distinguishing between this type of noise and potential earthquake-related signals is the biggest barrier to interpreting this data, Schneider states in the statement. After adjusting their algorithms and ruling out other influences, the researchers identified a signal indicating changes in the magnetic field between 72 and 24 hours before the earthquakes occurred.  In order to overcome the potential problem of "jamming", it is necessary to use accurate equipment near the places of large earthquakes; This is made easier because research sites near faults across California already provided them with the data for their analysis, but they need more data from other large earthquakes to build a statistical sample.  In the future, Schneider says he wants to improve the models to get rid of more ambient noise from the magnetometers, and the team will use data from remote stations to eliminate noise from solar activity, and Schneider continues, saying that the work indicates that "there may be regular changes that can be detected in the field." And with further study and isolation of these signals, a prediction system can actually be built in the future."

Although the signals of magnetic change may be faint, they are statistically significant, and seismologists hope their technology can be improved to help predict earthquakes in advance.

Earthquakes are among the most devastating natural phenomena for life and change the topography of the earth's crust. It can create cracks and swallow heights and create new heights, and the most dangerous thing about it is the inability of scientists to accurately predict the place and time of its occurrence; Which makes the resulting losses great, both in lives and property.

But the fact that scientists did not come up with ways to predict earthquakes does not mean that there are no geological changes and indicators before earthquakes occur and days before they occur. New research has revealed weak signs of changing the Earth’s magnetic field that occur a few days before earthquakes.

The statement - published on the website "Eos" (the journal of scientific news of the American Geophysical Union) - on the sixth of this October - states that researcher William Heflin and others found that the signal of the magnetic field change is faint, but it is statistically significant. Seismologists hope their technology can be improved to help predict earthquakes.

Changes in the magnetic field
Researchers were studying medium and large earthquakes in California , when they discovered detectable changes in the local magnetic field that occur 2 and 3 days before the earthquake, and published their findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth).

This is not the first time that the idea of ​​changing the magnetic field before earthquakes has been raised, but it has always been controversial, as no "convincing evidence of a preliminary magnetic foreshadowing of earthquakes" has been proven, according to the US Geological Survey . "We don't claim that this signal is there before every earthquake, but it's very interesting," Dan Schneider, director of Quickfinder, of earthquake research at Stellar Solutions, a systems engineering services company, and one of the researchers involved in the study said in the press release. .

The Science Alert report on the research states that the hypotheses behind fluctuations in the magnetic field before earthquakes are reasonable enough, and some argue that the massive buildup of pressure in the crust before an earthquake could, in theory, change the properties of rock layers. enough to affect its conductivity, and other studies suggest pockets of trapped gases build up before they are released, creating the electrical currents needed to influence magnetic activity.
Detecting the resulting ultra-low-frequency shifts in the magnetic field would give authorities a warning that something big is going to happen, freeing up time to prepare in the same way that communities might do to prepare for a hurricane.

Teaming up with the Google Accelerated Science team, the researchers harnessed magnetic field data from an array of magnetometers at 125 sensor stations along major faults. In California, they collected data for the period between 2005 and 2019, when 19 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater occurred.

Elimination of noise
The two teams' multi-stage analysis took into account other types of influences on magnetometers unrelated to earthquakes, such as momentum times or small shifts in solar activity. Distinguishing between this type of noise and potential earthquake-related signals is the biggest barrier to interpreting this data, Schneider states in the statement. After adjusting their algorithms and ruling out other influences, the researchers identified a signal indicating changes in the magnetic field between 72 and 24 hours before the earthquakes occurred.

In order to overcome the potential problem of "jamming", it is necessary to use accurate equipment near the places of large earthquakes; This is made easier because research sites near faults across California already provided them with the data for their analysis, but they need more data from other large earthquakes to build a statistical sample.

In the future, Schneider says he wants to improve the models to get rid of more ambient noise from the magnetometers, and the team will use data from remote stations to eliminate noise from solar activity, and Schneider continues, saying that the work indicates that "there may be regular changes that can be detected in the field." And with further study and isolation of these signals, a prediction system can actually be built in the future."

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