Analysis of the Effect of Solar Activity and Lunar Gravity on Earthquakes During the 24th Solar Cycle (2008-2019) Try to Submit This Sample Abstract
Dhea Syiva Putri Iwata, Dhani Herdiwijaya, Udjianna Sekteria Pasaribu

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technoogy, Ganesha 10, Bandung, Indonesia 40132

Abstract

Earthquakes are seismic events that occur when energy is released from within the Earth^s crust. There has been much debate about whether solar activity, consisting of plasma and magnetic field components, and the Moon^s gravity influence the frequency and characteristics of global and regional earthquakes. Solar explosions can trigger electrical disturbances in the ionosphere through high-energy particles and electromagnetic radiation, affecting the conductivity of the Earth^s crust and making plates more prone to fracture and displacement. Some argue that the Moon influences seismic activity through tidal forces that add to the pressure exerted on the plates. This study aims to assess the relationship between the non-gravitational effects of the Sun and the gravitational effects of the Moon on the magnitude and epicentral depth of earthquakes on the Pacific Plate from 2008 to 2019, during solar cycle 24. Tectonic earthquake data were obtained from the USGS catalog, including a total of 60,267 earthquakes with magnitudes above 3. Solar activity data consisting of 18 plasma and interplanetary space magnetic field parameters were obtained from NASA^s OMNIWeb GSFC, as well as data on two lunar parameters. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to identify the solar and lunar parameters with the greatest influence on earthquake magnitude and depth.

Keywords: earthquake, Sun activity, Moon tides, Partial least square

Topic: Planetary Science