Generation of electric field and infrared radiation in the troposphere before earthquakes

Mikhailin V.V.1, Liperovsky V.A.2, Silina A.S.2, Bogdanov V.V3, Meister C.-V.4, Liperovskaya E.V.2
  1. Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonossov State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
  2. Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya
  3. Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Radio Wave Propagation, Far Eastern Branch of RAS
  4. University of Technology Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 9, 64289 - Darmstadt, Germany

Some years ago, a model of the generation of local electric fields in the atmosphere a few days before
earthquakes and up to a few days after the seismic shock was proposed. The process of the electric field
generation occurs due to increased ionization in the atmosphere at the presence of aerosols. The electric
field arise because the larger aerosols which are mainly negatively charged fall down with a larger velocity
than the smaller, mainly positively charged aerosols. The ionization in such atmospheric regions is caused by
radon, the concentration of which increases in earthquake preparation regions. The formation of mosaic-like
distributed regions of electric fields with intensities of Е≈102 -105 V/m, and on the other hand, large areas with
increased electrical conductivity should cause a series of physical effects which may be studied using earth-
based, atmospheric and satellite observations. The theoretical analysis of the possible infrared emission spectra
showed, that the most important spectral bands, from which information on electric fields in the night-time
ionosphere is obtained, have wavelengths in the interval between 7.0 µm and 15.0 µm. A hypothesis is proposed
according to which the infrared emissions are not only connected with the electron acceleration, but also with
the heating of the light ions in the electric field.