Critical features in electromagnetic anomalies detected prior to the L'Aquila earthquake

Abstract

Electromagnetic (EM) emissions in a wide frequency spectrum ranging from kHz to MHz are produced by opening cracks, which can be considered as the so-called precursors of general fracture. We emphasize that the MHz radiation appears earlier than the kHz in both laboratory and geophysical scale. An important challenge in this field of research is to distinguish characteristic epochs in the evolution of precursory EM activity and identify them with the equivalent last stages in the earthquake (EQ) preparation process. Recently, we proposed the following two epochs/stages model: (i) The second epoch, which includes the finally emerged strong impulsive kHz EM emission is due to the fracture of the high strength large asperities that are distributed along the activated fault sustaining the system. (ii) The first epoch, which includes the initially emerged MHz EM radiation is thought to be due to the fracture of a highly heterogeneous system that surrounds the family of asperities. A catastrophic EQ of magnitude Mw = 6.3 occurred on 06/04/2009 in central Italy. The majority of the damage occurred in the city of L'Aquila. Clear kHz - MHz EM anomalies have been detected prior to the L'Aquila EQ. Herein, we investigate the seismogenic origin of the detected MHz anomaly. The analysis in terms of intermittent dynamics of critical fluctuations reveals that the candidate EM precursor: (i) can be described in analogy with a thermal continuous phase transition; (ii) has anti-persistent behaviour. These features suggest that the emerged candidate precursor could be triggered by microfractures in the highly disordered system that surrounded the backbone of asperities of the activated fault. We introduce a criterion for an underlying strong critical behavior.