Inverse Correlations between Daily Average Energy of Global 0.01 to 1 M Earthquakes and Solar Flux Units: Possible Source of Coupling

Abstract

The potential coupling between discrete releases of solar energy within the 2.8 GHz band and increments of seismic energy could suggest alternative mechanisms for solar-terrestrial interactions. Daily measures of Solar Flux Units (SFU) and the average energy of global earthquakes between 0.01 and 1 M for a 5 year period (2009-2013) shared about 25% of the same variance ( r = -0.50). Average energies from the other successive 1 M intervals did not display the strength of this effect or were not statistically significant. The slope of the association indicated that for every 10 -22 W/m 2 Hz 1 decrease in daily SFUs, the average energy per earthquake in the 0.01 to 1 M range increased over the earth’s surface area on average by ~3 × 10 -12 J/m 2 . The discrepancy of ~10 10 in energy density was accommodated by multiplication of the solar unit by the frequency equivalent (1.39 × 10 10 Hz/T) of the Bohr magneton and its intrinsic magnetic field strength. Although the results and the convergent quantification suggest a coupling between the mechanisms responsible for fluctuations in 2.8 GHz power from the sun and the energies of the smallest magnitude earthquake activities as predicted, the presence of a third factor related to time or to the sun’s movement through space must still be accommodated.