Title: Thermal infrared geostationary satellite sensor data application for prediction and monitoring earthquake in Algeria

Authors: Abdelatif Hassini; Ahmed Hafid Belbachir

Addresses: Département de Maintenance en Instrumentation, Institut de Maintenance et Sécurité Industrielle, Université d'Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, BP 1524, El M'Nouar, Oran, Algeria ' Laboratoire d'Analyse et d'Application des Rayonnements, Faculté de Physique, Université USTOMB, BP 1505, El M'Nouar, Bir El Djir, Oran, Algeria

Abstract: The modern operational space-borne optical sensors in the thermal infrared spectrum allow monitoring of the Earth's thermal field for detection of pre-earthquake thermal infrared (TIR) anomaly in land surface temperature in and around epicentral areas. Based on the concept that stress in rocks in tectonically-active regions may be manifested as temperature variation through energy transformation process, remote sensing-based thermal technique has been employed recently. A new method called Active Earthquake Prediction Algorithm (AEPA) using an acquired thermal infrared time series satellite sensors datasets is developed and applied in this research. This approach can depict some anomalous increases in surface temperature that occur before an earthquake. Some past earthquakes in Algeria were analysed for studying successively before, during and after, and spatially close to, a significant earthquake continuous satellite data recording. The study was successful in detecting pre-earthquake thermal anomalies prior to all these natural disasters.

Keywords: earthquakes; remote sensing; satellite sensors; land surface temperature; AEPA algorithm; thermal anomalies; Algeria; geostationary satellites; earthquake prediction; earthquake monitoring; optical sensors; thermal infrared time series; TIR anomalies; rock stresses; temperature variation; natural disasters; seismic activity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJITM.2016.079600

International Journal of Information Technology and Management, 2016 Vol.15 No.4, pp.293 - 312

Received: 06 Jul 2014
Accepted: 24 May 2015
Published online: 05 Oct 2016 *

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