- Note - The Russians are learning what Geologist
Jim Berkland discovered nearly 20 years ago. Listen to Jim's most recent
interview on 1-30-01 with Jeff in our program Archives to hear the entire
mechanism explained. Jim's outstanding earthquake website is www.syzygyjob.com
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- Earthquakes may be heralded by bursts of neutrons from
the Earth's surface and could even be linked to the lunar cycle, according
to Russian physicists. Nikolaj Volodichev and Mikhail Panasjuk of the
Skobeltsyn
Research Institute of Nuclear Physics in Moscow noticed that flow of
neutrons
from the Earth's crust increased sharply during the new moon and the full
moon. This is when tidal forces acting on the Earth are at their strongest,
which could trigger seismic activity. The researchers are optimistic that
their discovery could form the basis of a new system for forecasting
earthquakes.
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- Volodichev and Panasjuk measured levels of neutron
emission
in the Pamir mountains in Tajikistan - a seismically active region where
the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet - and found that they peaked
at twelve-hour intervals. The researchers noticed that the variation in
neutron flux coincided with the daily fluctuations of the moon's
gravitational
pull. This prompted them to study the neutron bursts when these tidal
forces
are at their greatest - that is, when the Sun, Earth and moon line up -
at the time of a new moon or a full moon. Volodichev and Panasjuk found
that the neutron flow during these periods was around twelve times higher
than the background level. This led them to believe that the tidal stress
on the Earth's crust opens up fissures through which radioactive gases
and particles can escape. The radioactive material quickly decays,
emitting
alpha particles that contain neutrons.
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- To back their theory, the researchers analysed data
collected
over 28 years from the Pacific 'ring of fire' - a region of intense
earthquake
activity. They found that the most severe earthquakes took place around
the time of a new moon or a full moon. "Our work suggests that neutron
flashes and an increase in seismic activity are closely related, and are
bound by tidal forces", said Volodichev. "The prediction of
earthquakes
from neutron bursts is still in the development stage but it is very
promising".
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©IOP Publishing Ltd 2001.
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