More Fact About The Earthquake In Japan
Japan after the earthquake and the tsunami
It is very likely that you are aware of the earthquake which hit Japan on March 11th. It caused lots of damage, and it was the biggest in Japan’s history, the fifth in the world, so far.
The researchers have recently stated that the atmosphere above the country was very different in the days prior to the earthquake. The research wasn’t analyzed by other scientist, and it wasn’t included in any scientific journal. If the research proves to be true, then the method could be used in the future in order to predict the earthquakes. However, a long time will pass until such a thing would be possible, according to the experts. Dimitar Ouzounov, a professor of earth sciences at Chapman University in California, believes that this method of looking at the sky in order to predict the earthquakes is possible, especially since it is not new. This process of using the sky for the prediction of earthquakes is called “Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling mechanism”. Before the earthquake, the fault which is stressed, releases radon gas which is colorless and odorless. Once this gas has reached the ionosphere, which is the upper atmosphere, it removes the electrons from the air molecules, splitting them into positively charged particles and into negatively charged particles, which are also known as free electrons.
The ions, as this is how the charged particles are called, attract condensed water, and that process releases heat. This heat causes changed in the infrared radiation, which can be detected by the researchers with the aid of special equipment. Ouzounov and his colleagues looked at the sky in order to see the way in which the atmosphere behaved in the days before the earthquake. The researchers discovered that both the infrared radiation and the electrons in the atmosphere increased in the day prior to the terrible event. According to Ouzounov, the strangest day was March 8th, as that was the day when the strangest events happened in the atmosphere. The researchers obtained information about more than 100 earthquakes from Asia and Taiwan. He said that all the major earthquakes, which had a magnitude bigger than 5.5. The researchers now intend to analyze the major earthquakes from all over the world, and to establish a team which will monitor these changes. 
However, it is unknown if they will succeed when it comes to predicting the earthquakes as many have tried and failed. Various methods were used so far, such as detecting weird behavior in animals, groundwater flowing in the wrong direction, and many others. None of them were successful. Henry Pollack, an emeritus professor of geophysics at the University of Michigan, said that the theory is “intriguing, but that it does not represent a breakthrough.” He said that in order for the theory to be valid, the researchers would need to analyze the biggest earthquakes in the world in order to make sure that all of them are linked with the weird atmospheric behaviors. He also stated that the researchers will need to know just how often these anomalies show up when an earthquake occurs. Terry Tullis, an emeritus professor of geological sciences at Brown University, is doubtful as well. He said that there have been numerous such theories in the past and that each and every one of them was invalid. Because of this, he believes that it is better to be doubtful when it comes to them.
However, this year, the earth scientists will meet with the atmospheric scientists in order to discuss the situation, and to see if they can come up with a plan. Tullis said that he would like to see they come up with something impressive, but he has doubts.11
