A statistical study on the correlation between lower ionospheric perturbations as seen by subionospheric VLF/LF propagation and earthquakes

Abstract

The subionospheric VLF/LF propagation is extensively used to investigate the lower ionospheric perturbation in possible association with earthquakes. An extensive period of data over 7 yr from January 2001 to December 2007 and a combination of different propagation paths in and around Japan are used to examine the statistical correlation between the VLF/LF propagation anomaly (average nighttime amplitude, dispersion, and nighttime fluctuation) and earthquakes with magnitude >6.0. It is then found that the propagation anomaly exceeding the 2 σ (standard deviation) criterion indicating the presence of ionospheric perturbation is significantly correlated with earthquakes with shallow depth (<40 km). Finally, the mechanism of seismoionospheric perturbations is discussed.