Prompt gravity signal induced by the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake

Jean-Paul Montagner (), Kévin Juhel, Matteo Barsuglia, Jean Paul Ampuero, Eric Chassande-Mottin, Jan Harms, Bernard Whiting, Pascal Bernard, Eric Clévédé and Philippe Lognonné
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Jean-Paul Montagner: Laboratoire de Sismologie, Institut de Physique du Globe, UMR/CNRS 7154
Kévin Juhel: Laboratoire de Sismologie, Institut de Physique du Globe, UMR/CNRS 7154
Matteo Barsuglia: APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité
Jean Paul Ampuero: Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd.
Eric Chassande-Mottin: APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/Irfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité
Jan Harms: National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Sezione Firenze
Bernard Whiting: 2001 Museum Road, University of Florida
Pascal Bernard: Laboratoire de Sismologie, Institut de Physique du Globe, UMR/CNRS 7154
Eric Clévédé: Laboratoire de Sismologie, Institut de Physique du Globe, UMR/CNRS 7154
Philippe Lognonné: Laboratoire de Sismologie, Institut de Physique du Globe, UMR/CNRS 7154

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Transient gravity changes are expected to occur at all distances during an earthquake rupture, even before the arrival of seismic waves. Here we report on the search of such a prompt gravity signal in data recorded by a superconducting gravimeter and broadband seismometers during the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. During the earthquake rupture, a signal exceeding the background noise is observed with a statistical significance higher than 99% and an amplitude of a fraction of μGal, consistent in sign and order of magnitude with theoretical predictions from a first-order model. While prompt gravity signal detection with state-of-the-art gravimeters and seismometers is challenged by background seismic noise, its robust detection with gravity gradiometers under development could open new directions in earthquake seismology, and overcome fundamental limitations of current earthquake early-warning systems imposed by the propagation speed of seismic waves.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13349

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