Electromagnetic phenomena associated with earthquakes and the future of earthquake prediction

Abstract

Conventional mechanical (seismic) measurement was recently found to be unsuitable for short-term earthquake (EQ) prediction. During the last two decades, a completely new wave based on electromagnetic effects has been proposed for EQ prediction, and recently we have made enormous progress in seismo-electromagnetics. Different kinds of precursors (nearly all electromagnetic) have been proposed as candidates for short-term EQ prediction. Among the many, ionospheric perturbations, as studied by subionospheric VLF/LF propagation, has been found to be statistically correlated with EQs, and is ready to be used for practical EQ prediction. Finally, the future and prospects for EQ prediction are extensively discussed.