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Analysis of Swarm Satellite Magnetic Field Data Before the 2016 Ecuador (mw=7.8) Earthquake Based on Non-Negative Matrix Factorization

Session: Application of Remote Sensing and Space-Based Earth Observations Data in Earthquake Research [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/21/2021

Presentation Time: 11:30 AM Pacific

Description: 

Based on the Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), we analyzed the ionosphere magnetic field data of Swarm Alpha satellite before the 2016 Mw=7.8 Ecuador earthquake (April 16, 0.35°N, 79.93°W), including the data under quiet geomagnetic conditions and those under strong geomagnetic conditions. The data of each track were decomposed into basis features and their corresponding weights. We found that the energy and entropy for one of the weight components were more concentrated inside the earthquake-sensitive area, which meant that this weight component was more likely to reflect the activity inside the earthquake-sensitive area. Then we focused on this weight component, and found that for this weight component, the cumulative number of tracks, which had anomalies inside the earthquake sensitive area, showed accelerated growth before the Ecuador earthquake and recovered to linear growth after. Then we excluded the influence of the geomagnetic activity and the plasma bubble on the accelerated cumulative anomaly. Also, through the random earthquake study and the low-seismicity period study, the accelerated cumulative anomaly was proved not to be obtained by chance. Moreover, we found the cumulative Benioff strain S which reflected the lithosphere activity, had similar acceleration behavior to the accelerated cumulative anomaly of the ionosphere magnetic field, that suggested that the anomaly we obtained were possibly associated the Ecuador earthquake and it was also correspond well to the Lithosphere Atmosphere Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) model.

Presenting Author: Mengxuan Fan

Student Presenter: Yes

Authors