The nexus of soil radon and hydrogen dynamics and seismicity of the northern flank of the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone

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P. P. Firstov
V. S. Yakovleva
V. A. Shirokov
O. P. Malysheva

Abstract

The comparison of kinematics and dynamic parameters of radon and molecular hydrogen concentration in subsoil
air on the stations network at the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky geodynamic proving ground with seismicity
of the northern flank of the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone was fulfilled in the period from July till August
2004. On the basis of correlation analysis of the regional seismicity and variations of radon flux density calculated
using the data of gas-discharge counters of STS-6 type and SSNTDs it was shown that the radon mass
transfer abnormal variations are conditioned by both regional seismicity in total and the subduction zone of proving
ground. The azimuths of «geodeformation waves» coming to the registration points are calculated during
clearly expressed anomaly beginnings, which coincide with directions to earthquake epicenters taking place at
the same time. The geochemical anomalies recorded are presumptively deformative by nature and can be conditioned
by processes of «quasi-viscous» flow of the lithosphere during rearrangement of tectonic stress fields of
the subduction zone. The short-term (predicted time ? <14 days) precursor of the earthquakes swarm was revealed
in hydrogen dynamics on August, 4-5 (four earthquakes had M?5.3 and epicentral distance about 130 km
from the Paratunka base station).

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How to Cite
Firstov, P. P., Yakovleva, V. S., Shirokov, V. A. and Malysheva, O. P. (2007) “The nexus of soil radon and hydrogen dynamics and seismicity of the northern flank of the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone”, Annals of Geophysics, 50(4). doi: 10.4401/ag-3068.
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