VLF transmitter signal variations as detected by Graz facility prior to Croatian earthquakes

We report on two earthquakes (EQs) that occurred in Croatia at a distance less than 200 km from the Austrian Graz facility (15.46°E, 47.03°N). Those EQs happened on March 22 and December 29, 2020, with magnitudes of Mw5.4 and Mw6.4, respectively. The epicenters were at geographical coordinates (16.02°E, 45.87°N; 16.21°E, 45.42°N) with focuses smaller than 10 km.  Austrian Graz facility leads to detect more than fifteen VLF and LF transmitter signals (Schwingenschuh et al., 2011, Biagi et al., 2019). Transmitter ray paths cross over the EQs epicenters in particular those localised in ICV and ITS (Italy) and TBB (Turkey). We emphasize in our study on the signal fluctuations before/after the sunrise- and sunset-times, or terminator times (TTs). Transmitter amplitude signals exhibit precursor anomalies that related to EQs disturbances occurring particularly at the falling off or the growth of the ionospheric D-layer. Ground-based stations (e.g. Rozhnoi et al., 2009) and satellite observations (e.g. Zhang et al., 2020) have reported such EQs ionospheric disturbances at several occasions.

 

References:

Biagi et al., The INFREP Network: Present Situation and Recent Results, Open J. Earth. Research, 8, 2019. Rozhnoi et al., Anomalies in VLF radio signals prior the Abruzzo earthquake (M=6.3) on 6 April, 2009, Natural Hazards and Earth System Science, 9, 2009. Schwingenschuh et al., The Graz seismo-electromagnetic VLF facility, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 11, 2011. Zhang et al., Multi-experiment observations of ionospheric disturbances as precursory effects of the Indonesian Ms6.9 earthquake on August 05 2018, Remote Sens. J., 12, 2020.