Emission of Rn and CO2 From Soil at Fault Zones Caused by Seismic Waves.

In the search for precursors to earthquakes, correlation has been found between geochemical characteristics of soil gases and seismic activity. In this paper we present evidence that seismic waves can trigger emission of soil radon (Rn) and carbon dioxide (CO2). An active experiment was performed in two fault zones in China, the Annighe fault in Sichuan province and the Xiadian fault in Heibei province. An active seismic source was used to generate seismic waves at 10 m depth in wells within bedrock. Rn and CO2 detectors were placed around the wells at a distance of ∼1 m for observing the effects of the seismic waves on the emission of the gases. The observations confirm that the seismic waves have a significant and direct effect on the concentration and flux of soil radon and carbon dioxide. When the seismic events were triggered, the observed concentrations of Rn and CO2 immediately increased and reached peak values within 5–50 min and 30–60 min, with corresponding increases of Rn and CO2 concentrations by 10.5%–238.7% and 3.1%–54.1%, respectively. The measured concentrations and flux of CO2 and Rn after the passage of the seismic waves showed strong correlation, confirming the suggestion that CO2 is the carrier gas for Rn. To the best of our knowledge this is the first direct, in‐situ measurement of gas emission caused by the passage of seismic waves and provides important constraints for better understanding of geochemical earthquake precursors. Plain Language Summary: Observed geochemical properties of soil gases migrated from the deep Earth can be used to survey seismicity, volcanic activity and emission of greenhouse gases. However, due to difficulty in natural earthquake prediction, most observations on the geochemical effects linked to seismic activity are conducted after or away from naturally occurring events, with the effects normally inferred from seismic parameters. In this study, an active seismic source based on methane gaseous detonation was employed to artificially produce seismic events along two fault zones, and in‐situ measurements of concentrations and flux of radon (Rn) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were conducted. These observations showed strong correlation between concentrations and flux of CO2 and Rn after the events, in agreement with the hypothesis that CO2 is the carrier gas for Rn in tectonically active settings. Key Points: Soil CO2 and Rn emission triggered by a new type active source that excited at 10 m deep well in bedrock are observed at first timeQuantitative effect of seismicity on the concentration and flux of soil CO2 and Rn are presentedEmission of CO2 and Rn after the seismicity show strong correlation and proved that CO2 is the carrier gas for Rn [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]