SNR changes of VLF radio signals detected onboard the DEMETER satellite and their possible relationship to the Wenchuan earthquake

Yufei He , Dongmei Yang , Huaran Chen , Jiadong Qian , Rong Zhu , Michel Parrot (1)

1 LPCE - Laboratoire de physique et chimie de l'environnement

Here we used the VLF signal data received by the DEMETER satellite, transmitted from various ground VLF transmitters which are located around China, to study the changes in the signal to noise ratio (SNR) before and after the Wenchuan earthquake, which had a magnitude of 8.0. We also found that the SNRs of different frequency signals decreased significantly over the epicenter region before the earthquake, and reverted to their original levels after the earthquake. This phenomenon may be related to the earthquake.

Keywords: SNR; VLF; Wenchuan earthquake; DEMETER satellite; seismo-ionospheric phenomenon

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

Yufei He, Dongmei Yang, Huaran Chen, Jiadong Qian, Rong Zhu, et al.. SNR changes of VLF radio signals detected onboard the DEMETER satellite and their possible relationship to the Wenchuan earthquake. Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences, 2009, 52 (6), pp.754-763. ⟨10.1007/s11430-009-0064-5⟩. ⟨insu-03218207⟩