Abstract
Space-time anomalies of Earth’s emitted radiation: thermal infrared in spectral range measured from satellite months to weeks before the occurrence of earthquakes, radon in underground water and soil, etc., and electromagnetic anomalies are considered as pre-seismic signals. Satellite remote sensing provides spatially continuous information of the tectonic landscape but also contribute to the understanding of specific fault and information about stress transfer between fault systems from depth and to the surface as well as on released energy by earthquakes and other modes of deformation. This paper presents observations made using time series MODIS Terra/Aqua, NOAA-AVHRR, Landsat satellite data for derived multi-parameters land surface temperature (LST), outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR), and mean air temperature (AT) for some seismic events recorded in Vrancea active geotectonic region in Romania. For some analyzed earthquakes, starting with almost one week prior to a moderate or strong earthquake a transient thermal infrared rise in LST of several Celsius degrees (oC) and the increased OLR values higher than the normal function of the magnitude and focal depth, which disappeared after the main shock. Synergy of multisenzor and multitemporal satellite data with in-situ and GPS data and spatial analysis of magnitude–frequency distributions of Vrancea earthquakes provides more information on Vrancea area seismicity. Earthquake hazard assessment for Vrancea region in Romania must have different degrees of complexity, which consists of derived geospatial and in-situ geophysical/geodetic parameters monitoring, analysis, predictive modeling, and forecast-oriented as well as decision-making procedures.
