Atmosphere (May 2025)
Unusual Iridescent Clouds Observed Prior to the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake and Their Possible Relation to Preseismic Disturbance in the Ionosphere
Abstract
The Wenchuan earthquake (Ms8.0), which struck Sichuan Province, China, on 12 May 2008, was one of the most devastating seismic events in recent Chinese history. It resulted in the deaths of nearly 90,000 people, left millions homeless, and caused widespread destruction of infrastructure across a vast area. In addition to the severe ground shaking and surface rupture, a variety of unusual atmospheric/ionospheric and geophysical phenomena were reported in the days and hours leading up to the earthquake. Notably, iridescent clouds were observed just before the earthquake at three distinct locations approximately 450–550 km northeast of the epicenter. These clouds appeared as fragmented rainbows located beneath the sun and were characterized by their short lifespan, lasting only 1–10 min. Moreover, they exhibited striped patterns within the iridescent regions, suggesting the influence of an external electric field. These features cannot be adequately explained by the well-known meteorological phenomenon of circumhorizontal arcs, raising the possibility of a different origin. The formation mechanism of these clouds remains unclear. In this study, we explore the hypothesis that the iridescent clouds were precursory phenomena associated with the impending earthquake. Specifically, we examine a potential causal relationship between the appearance of these clouds and the geological environment of the earthquake source. We propose a novel model in which electrical disturbances generated along the fault system immediately before the mainshock propagated upward and interacted with the ionosphere, resulting in the creation of a localized electric field. This electric field, in turn, induced electro-optic effects that altered the scattering of sunlight and projected iridescent patterns onto cirrus clouds, leading to the observed phenomena.
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