Voice of West Kalimantan – Solar storms have long been known as a phenomenon capable of creating aurora and disrupting satellite communications systems on Earth. However, recent research from Kyoto University reveals a more extreme possibility, namely that solar activity can provide a subtle push to earth faults that are already on the verge of releasing energy.
Mentioned Science Daily, Wednesday (25/2/2025), scientists proposed a theoretical model that links disturbances in the ionosphere, the upper atmospheric layer, with electrostatic pressure within the earth’s crust. They emphasized that the sun was not the direct cause of the earthquake, but rather an external factor that could trigger an already critical fault.
This model works with the assumption that the fault zone contains water in supercritical conditions. Electrically, the zone acts like a giant capacitor connected to the Earth’s surface and ionosphere.
When a strong solar flare occurs, the electron density in the ionosphere increases and forms a negatively charged layer. This charge produces an electric field that can penetrate into microscopic cracks in the rocks of the earth’s crust.
“Based on the research team’s calculations, the resulting electrostatic pressure could reach megapascal levels, equivalent to tidal or gravitational pressure which is known to influence fault stability,” wrote Science Daily.
Interestingly, ionospheric anomalies are often detected shortly before a large earthquake occurs. Phenomena such as spikes in electron density or decreases in the height of the ionosphere have long been thought to be the result of pressure within the earth. However, the new model suggests a two-way interaction: processes inside the Earth influence the ionosphere, while ionospheric disturbances provide feedback in the form of additional pressure to the Earth’s crust.
For example, large earthquakes in Japan such as the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred after a period of high solar activity. Although it has not been proven with certainty that there is a cause-and-effect relationship, this pattern is considered to be in line with the hypothesis that ionospheric disturbances could be an additional trigger.
This approach challenges the traditional view that earthquakes are triggered only by internal forces. By combining plasma physics, atmospheric science, and geophysics, scientists are now starting to consider external factors from space in seismic risk analysis.
The next step is to combine high-resolution GNSS-based ionospheric tomography data with space weather data. The goal is to understand when and how ionospheric disturbances produce electrostatic effects significant enough to affect the Earth’s crust. If proven, these findings have the potential to open new avenues for future earthquake early warning systems.
Source: Beritasatu.com
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