dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaElectro-Magnetic Earthquake Bursts and Critical Rupture of Peroxy Bond Networks in Rocks
| Authors | F. Freund, D. Sornette |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0603205 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0603205 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.tecto.2006.05.032 |
| Journal | Tectonophysics 431, 33-47 (2007) |
Abstract
We propose a mechanism for the low frequency electromagnetic emissions and other electromagnetic phenomena which have been associated with earthquakes. The mechanism combines the critical earthquake concept and the concept of crust acting as a charging electric battery under increasing stress. The electric charges are released by activation of dormant charge carriers in the oxygen anion sublattice, called peroxy bonds or positive hole pairs (PHP), where a PHP represents an $O_3X/^{OO}\backslash YO_3$ with $X,Y = Si^{4+}, Al^{3+}...$, i.e. an $O^-$ in a matrix of $O^{2-}$ of silicates. We propose that PHP are activated by plastic deformations during the slow cooperative build-up of stress and the increasingly correlated damage culminating in a large ``critical'' earthquake. Recent laboratory experiments indeed show that stressed rocks form electric batteries which can release their charge when a conducting path closes the equivalent electric circuit. We conjecture that the intermittent and erratic occurrences of EM signals are a consequence of the progressive build-up of the battery charges in the Earth crust and their erratic release when crack networks are percolating throughout the stressed rock volumes, providing a conductive pathway for the battery currents to discharge. EM signals are thus expected close to the rupture, either slightly before or after, that is, when percolation is most favored.
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"abstract": "We propose a mechanism for the low frequency electromagnetic emissions and\nother electromagnetic phenomena which have been associated with earthquakes.\nThe mechanism combines the critical earthquake concept and the concept of crust\nacting as a charging electric battery under increasing stress. The electric\ncharges are released by activation of dormant charge carriers in the oxygen\nanion sublattice, called peroxy bonds or positive hole pairs (PHP), where a PHP\nrepresents an $O_3X/^{OO}\\backslash YO_3$ with $X,Y = Si^{4+}, Al^{3+}...$,\ni.e. an $O^-$ in a matrix of $O^{2-}$ of silicates. We propose that PHP are\nactivated by plastic deformations during the slow cooperative build-up of\nstress and the increasingly correlated damage culminating in a large\n``critical\u0027\u0027 earthquake. Recent laboratory experiments indeed show that\nstressed rocks form electric batteries which can release their charge when a\nconducting path closes the equivalent electric circuit. We conjecture that the\nintermittent and erratic occurrences of EM signals are a consequence of the\nprogressive build-up of the battery charges in the Earth crust and their\nerratic release when crack networks are percolating throughout the stressed\nrock volumes, providing a conductive pathway for the battery currents to\ndischarge. EM signals are thus expected close to the rupture, either slightly\nbefore or after, that is, when percolation is most favored.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0603205",
"authors": [
"F. Freund",
"D. Sornette"
],
"categories": [
"physics.geo-ph",
"physics.gen-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1016/j.tecto.2006.05.032",
"journal_ref": "Tectonophysics 431, 33-47 (2007)",
"title": "Electro-Magnetic Earthquake Bursts and Critical Rupture of Peroxy Bond Networks in Rocks",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0603205"
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