Ionospheric precursors of strong earthquakes observed using six GNSS stations data during continuous five years(2011-2015)

This study reports the morphological characteristics of anomalous variations in Global Navigation Satellite System Total Electron Content(GNSS-TEC) prior to the strong local earthquakes(EQ) that occurred during the period of 2011-2015.We have analyzed 20 earthquakes of magnitude M> 5.6.A statistical technique is implemented on the data of six GNSS stations located in Tashkent,Kitab,and Maidanak in Uzbekistan,and Islamabad,Multan,Quetta in Pakistan.The results show continuous anomalous variations in TEC during 24 h befo re the occupancy of local earthquakes.It is shown that the precursors before the occurrence of strong earthquakes,in particular of magnitude 5.7,7.7,7.5,7.8 and 7.3 are detected near Eastern Uzbekistan(26 May 2013),Southwestern Pakistan(24 September 2013),Hindukush region of Afghanistan(26 October 2015),and Central Nepal(25 April 2015) and(12 May 2015),respectively.The ionospheric anomalies appearing before the strong earthquakes at six GNSS stations are registered in 14cases(70%) out of 20 selected EQs.It is depicted that anomalies referred to as ionospheric precursors appeared about 1-7 days prior to the occurrence of strong earthquakes.

Large-scale inverted-V channels of upflowing oxygen ions pumped by Alfvén waves

Large-scale inverted-V channels of upflowing oxygen ions are frequently identified in data collected by Cluster,at all local times,near the open-closed field line boundary over Earth’s high-latitude ionosphere-occur with downward propagating MHD Alfvén waves which have cascaded into kinetic regimes of plasma.The transverse acceleration of the oxygen ions in the center of these structures is interpreted as the integrated energization by these waves along the channels.Also observed within the channels are upward parallel electric fields,a key characteristic of kinetic Alfvén waves,which may contribute not only to lifting the ions but also to precipitating aurora electrons that might initiate ion upflow in the ionosphere below.Statistics on five-year observations of Cluster show that the channels typically form during geomagnetic perturbations,particularly when solar-wind dynamic pressure is high or highly fluctuated.Near the open-closed field line boundary,the stronger the wave power,the higher the upward oxygen flux and the higher the beam energy,indicating that these waves provide a simple but efficient way to drive oxygen upflows.

Ionospheric Investigations Conducted by Chinese Mainland Scientists in 2020-2021

In this report,we outline works done by scientists from the Mainland of China on various ionospheric topics after the release of the National Report of China in 2020 on ionospheric researchto the Committee on Space Research(COSPAR).More than 170 papers were published in 2020-2021.The current report covers the following topics:ionospheric space weather,ionospheric structures and climatology,ionospheric dynamics and couplings,ionospheric irregularity and scintillation,modeling and data assimilation,and ionosphere and sounding techniques.Planetary ionospheres are included for the first time.

Intracontinental lithospheric delamination:Constraints from imaging the mantle transition zone beneath the southwestern part of the Sichuan Basin

The southwestern part of the Sichuan Basin(SW-SCB)is adjacent to the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.Affected by the Indo-Eurasian collision and subsequent intrusion of the Indian plate into the Eurasian plate during the Cenozoic,this region is ideal for the study of the tectonic evolution of the intracontinental lithosphere and the dynamic processes of deep and shallow structures.In this study,we applied the receiver function technique to the data obtained from a recently deployed high-density broadband seismic array across the Sichuan Basin and Sichuan-Yunnan block(SCB-SYB).We conducted a multi-frequency and multi-model correction analysis to image the structure of the mantle transition zone beneath this region.The results showed the660-km discontinuity gradually increasing in depth by 10-30 km beneath the western side of the Anninghe-Xiaojiang Fault,suggesting the presence of thermal anomalies caused by the subducted Indian plate from west to east.At the junction of the SCBSYB,the 410-km discontinuity exhibited a slight uplift of 5-10 km,while the 660-km discontinuity showed a significant depression of~30 km over a lateral range of~150 km.Based on previous surface GPS observation and dynamic numerical simulation studies,we suggest that the sharp lateral small-scale topography of this 660-km discontinuity beneath the SW-SCB may have resulted from dripping delamination of the lithosphere within the strain localization area.Furthermore,the aggregation of delaminated lithospheric material at the base of the 660-km discontinuity determines the regional topography of mantle transition zone discontinuities.In this study,we provided seismological evidence for the challenging detection of small-scale intracontinental lithosphere dripping delamination.Moreover,it provides a new view for studying deep and shallow dynamic processes in intracontinental regions with stress concentration resulting from plate/continental subduction and collision.

Exploring the universe and protecting the Earth:Young Chinese scientists in action

The 5th Youth Scientist Forum of Planetary Science(YSFPS)took place from March 25 to 29,2023,in Sanya,a picturesque coastal city in the Hainan Province of southern China.This forum,one of China’s largest gatherings of its kind,experienced over 1,000 participants from domestic universities and research institutes discussing advancements in a variety of topics,including the surface,atmosphere,interior,core of planets,exoplanet exploration,asteroids,and comets(as shown in Figure 1A).One of the international hot topics in this meeting was lunar science research.With the return of lunar samples from the Chang’e-5 mission,scientists have immediately carried out various studies,forming new understandings about the moon’s evolution and raising new questions.