Preface Special Issue: Developments in Earthquake Precursors Studies

Abstract

This Special Issue of Annals of Geophysics is dedicated to present recent developments in the field of earthquake (EQ) precursors. Due to their potentially catastrophic nature, EQs have early attracted the attention of humans. During the last decades, a considerable amount of scientific effort has been devoted to the study of EQ precursors, aiming at EQ forecast. Prediction of large EQs, especially in the short-term, is of outmost importance for our society, since it could prevent, or at least restrict, their disastrous consequences, both in terms of infrastructure / material damages and in terms of casualties.  It is clear that EQ preparation processes are complex and multifaceted, which call for a multidisciplinary approach. Many possible precursors have been reported and studied during the last decades, which include (just to mention some): foreshock activity, pre-slip effect, surface deformation, seismic electric signals (SES), ultra-low frequency (ULF) magnetic field anomalies, fracture-induced electromagnetic emissions (FEME) (fracture-induced electromagnetic radiation, FEMR), ULF/ELF (extremely low frequency) atmospheric electromagnetic radiation, atmospheric anomalies (such as SLHF, OLR etc.) and ionospheric (lower and upper regions) anomalies, lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere (LAI) coupling, even abnormal animal behavior.