Radio VHF Precursors of Earthquakes

On the basis of our analysis of a number of continuous observations made by the monitoring network on Crete, we assume that electrically active clouds are produced in an atmosphere above the sea on the eve of earthquake. These electrically active clouds, which occur at heights of 0.1–10 km, create the conditions for electrical discharges in an atmosphere that may be the source of the very high frequency (VHF) radio-emissions registered on Crete. We further suggest possible mechanisms of thunder electricity generation. We present the model of convection transport in which the first condition in the generation of thunder electricity is an atmosphere with a horizontal gradient of temperature. Base on this model, the occurrence of electrical charges on the surface of the sea and their transportation further upwards to heights of up to 10 km is due to pollution energy allocated within the bottom of the sea as gases and heat injection. The average flux density and power estimations of the VHF precursors were made for the Crete net situation to compare with published VHF data and radio star sources.