See Possible mechanism of ionospheric anomalies to trigger earthquakes – Electrostatic coupling between the ionosphere and the crust and the resulting electric forces acting within the crust . By Akira Mizuno, Minghui Kao, Ken Umeno: This study proposes a capacitive coupling model between the Earth's crust and the ionosphere to explain ionospheric anomalies observed prior to major earthquakes and to explore their potential role in triggering seismic events. In this model, a fractured zone within the crust acts as a capacitor, accumulating electric charge through the infiltration of high-temperature, high-pressure water containing dissolved ions. The precipitation of ultrafine charged particles within the fracture zone generates an electric field that interacts with the ionosphere, leading to anomalies such as increased total electron content (TEC), lowered ionospheric altitude, and reduced propagation velocity of medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). The ...