Possible Connections between X-Solar Flares and Worldwide Variation in Seismicity Enhancement

We developed a?statistical study analyzing global seismicity enhancement and its variation?overtwenty years.?X-flares sometimes occur in conjunction with Coronal Mass Ejections (CME),which make their connection with the Earth’s magnetosphere stronger.?The preliminary study divided the Earth into seven regions determined by longitude and latitude, and nine levels of depth valid for most locations?in the?Pacific area.?The results showed that X beams influenced seismicity in terrestrial localities, mainly high magnitude earthquakes occurring below the crust at 70 km.?These internal enhancements happen without the presence of any external forces such as studied in Solar Speed Winds.?Nevertheless, those variations are perceptible in the presence of intense X flares and CME and less observed in the periods during which flares were absent. Two cases of high magnitude earthquakes in recent?years are analyzed, and the extreme external conditions of those events fit?with this theory.

Effect of Adjunct Culture <i>Lactobacillus helveticus</i>(B02) on the Composition, Proteolysis, Free Amino Acids Release and Sensory Characteristics of Prato Cheese

At semi-industrial scale it was obtained two cheeses, one with aromatic culture (CHN) and the other with also L. helveticus (CHN + LH). Proteolysis during ripening was evaluated using proteolytic indices, electrophoretic profile Urea-PAGE and release of free amino acids. Sensory evaluation was performed by acceptability test. It was observed a 5-fold increase in the fraction corresponding to αs1-I-casein in the CHN cheese and 6.5 times in the CHN + LH cheese and 7.2 and 8.2 increase respectively, for total amino acids. Prato cheese with the adjunct culture showed higher acceptability in terms of overall aroma and flavor.

Seasonality Variability and Periodicities for Ultra-Deep Earthquakes Worldwide

Our last study found that deepest-depth earthquakes with larger magnitudes (M6 or above) showed seasonality, which is dependent on the area searched. The main results indicated strong evidence that the causes for the delays in enhancements along the period investigated were due to the tectonics also, not only the season. Therefore, if the inquiry was about an area in Northern Hemisphere, the season in which the increases occurred is different than the season in the Southern Hemisphere. Also, higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere or around the Equator, displayed seasonality similarly where the tremors appear to increase during the Spring and Summer. This did not happen to the Southern Hemisphere where disturbances and anomalies occurred without showing much connection to the seasons in the analyzed period. However, some of the regions presented periodicities independent from the seasons.

Sun-Moon-Earth Interactions, External Factors for Earthquakes

The aim of this paper is to continue analyzing the interactions in the three-body system made up of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. First, we review new details about Moon-Earth connections, with a special focus on mechanical forces. Following, we expand the study to consider the pair Sun-Earth, with calculations for electromagnetic forces. The objective in both cases is to know how mechanical and electromagnetic forces affect seismological events on Earth. Our calculations found that Solar Cycles have no direct interaction with earthquake variations. Instead, we established that there is an internal discrepancy for quakes below 35 km detected in some of the regions analyzed. The results indicate that geomagnetic variations must be studied next to understand their connections to earthquakes.

Deep and Ultra-Deep Earthquakes Worldwide, Possible Anomalies in South America

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the worldwide variation of deep and ultra-deep earthquakes (DQ and UDQ) during the period 1996-2017. This project found only three locations around the globe presenting this kind of seismicity. Although there are other global settings showing deep seismicity, they are not periodical and cannot be considered by a statistical view. The three areas with intense activity for DQ and UDQ events are located mostly in subduction areas. The largest variations of DQ and UDQ border the Pacific Ocean and include the North Pacific, South Pacific, and South America. The major difference in this set is that the first two sites are subduction zones and the South American occurrences happened in the interior of the continent. Another anomaly is an internal layer between 300 - 500 km in South America that shows no tremors in the period studied. However, below 500 km activity reappears, even at extreme depths of up to 650 km. We suggested that the reason for those occurrences would be due to an anomaly in the asthenosphere in this region. This anomaly would probably be presenting a breakable material that was pushed by the Nazca platform against the South America plate. Other depths below 100 km in all the regions are discussed as well. We suggested that the reason for those occurrences was an anomaly created in the asthenosphere as part of the process of the South America collision with the Nazca plate. Part of the Nazca plate has subducted below South America, creating a slab as deep as 500 km. The convergent slab is still moving against South America and sinking due to the gravity and rotation of the Earth. The discrepancies in the occurrences we tracked at different locations indicated that this slab had different thicknesses around South America. We found similar results for Vanuatu and Fiji;in these regions UDQ events occur at the subduction zones under the ocean with depths greater than 700 km. Here, a possible explanation is that part of the lithosphere is subducted at these depths and is causing tremors.

Possible Connections between Seasons and Ultra-Deep Earthquakes Worldwide

The aim of this investigation is to find possible changes in ultra-deep earthquakes (UDQ) during different seasons of the year. In the acquisition of data for our previous work we observed an inexplicable pattern of growth of ultra-deep tremors (UDQ) during the studied period. Apparently, there is no viable explanation for growth occurring at such a level, presumably in the asthenosphere. Current research and theories developed for the inner layers of the Earth do not explain such variations. Therefore, a possible explanation would be in external factors such as the seasons of the year, which are determined by changes in the Earth’s axial tilt, and therefore the portion of the earth that is angled toward the sun. This paper focuses exclusively on UDQ events. To simplify the calculations, we consider four main locations;this includes one more region than our previous paper but includes only UDQ data. The results showed that during spring and autumn UDQ events grew slightly in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is also suggested that a contributor to UDQ events is friction from the subducting lithosphere against the continental plates.

Sun Disturbances on Earth’s Volcanism

This paper searches for a connection between volcanoes and solar variability. Solar events have been investigated as possible interference with hazardous natural events on Earth. The first results pointed out that during the solar minimum, the frequency and strength of volcanoes increased. However, solar variability is not the only factor disturbing volcanic eruptions;there is also seasonality. There is a double interference from the Sun on the volcanoes, one from the solar cycles, and the second is the seasons.

Climate Changes Consequences from Sun-Earth Connections and Anthropogenic Relationships

This paper is a study to understand how climate changed last fifty years. There are two theories: the first one considers the solar variability and the influence of those alterations on climate;the second one blames human activity and the consequences on temperatures and disruption on the environment created by humans. Our conclusions pointed out that dimensions involved between Earth and Sun, and Earth/Atmosphere, the second one can disturb the temperature on Earth’s surface and make seasonality variations impossible to be explained only by Sun/Earth connections.

Anthropogenic Enhancement of Earthquakes in the Conterminous USA

Since the 1950s, small tremors created by human actions have been catalogued and recorded by the USGS. However, there is no academic explanation of the mechanism involved in these quakes. The aim of this work is to show that the propagation of mechanical fractures created in certain areas is one factor responsible for triggering earthquakes. Technically, this fracturing process depends on the ratio between pressure and tension, i.e., Young’s modulus, and locally depends on the specific material under pressure. Examining the entire territory of the U.S., we were able to identify certain states where Griffith’s theory was applied to explain the results found in those states. This study works with public records available from USGS. Therefore, any classified event or information is outside of the scope of this paper. We also investigate mid-continent or intraplate earthquakes during the period 2000-2016 with magnitudes M2 to M3.8 in shallow depths that appear to be amplified in consonance with development by companies in fracking, oil-gas assessment, mining, quarry blasting, experimental explosions, and collapses. Of particular interest was the enhancement of earthquakes during 2000-2016 for events M ≥ 4 surrounding the Mississippi Lime near the Oklahoma/Kansas border. Overall, all the anthropogenic events could be elucidated by Griffith theory.

Seasonality and Tectonic Influences on Subduction Zones for Ultra-Deep Earthquakes

Our previous research has found that deep or very deep earthquakes can be influenced by different seasons of the year. It also indicates that other factors may impact the seasonality in addition to these external parameters. This would explain why the response from Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere for the seasons is different. In the current research, we will focus on very deep earthquakes over a very long period, 1950-2017, which have high magnitude of M ≥ 6 with depth ≥ 500 km and named ultra-deep earthquakes (UDQ). We will separate such events by coordinates of each subduction area located in the Pacific Ring of Fire to find which effects the seasons have on these specific areas. Former tomographic studies in such regions pointed out that each area mentioned had systematic differences in the slab configuration along arcs. Our conclusions showed that those discrepancies may influence the enhancement of earthquakes in some seasons or months.

Influence of Volcanic Activity on Weather and Climate Changes

This paper examines possible connections between volcanic eruptions and their consequences on the weather. Gas emissions, such as CO2 and SO2, are vital in the troposphere and change temperatures on Earth’s surface. The water vapor discharges can be moved for three atmospheric layers creating extra atmospheric rivers and disrupting the Polar vortex. All those deviations will bring consequences to the weather. It depends on the intensity, the emission type, the kind of volcano, and the location. Then, eruptions can change the atmospheric layers with sudden fluctuations unexpected for the season.

Ice Sheet Melt and Ozone Hole Variations on Three Solar Cycles Possible Anthropogenic Interactions

This paper investigated the information about Ice sheet melt and Ozone hole variations during three solar cycles. After performing the inquiry on the data, the final results pointed out that both phenomena varying accord with Earth’s seasonality. The sea melt extension depends on the season and if the ocean waters are warmer around the polar caps. We checked the suggestion that anthropogenic perturbations could influence the variations in both phenomena.