Hi Chris,

There are two important things to remember here:

First, the goal is to move earthquake science forward. And you can’t do that with bad and inaccurate data. If the magnetic data are significant and people continue investigating this then their value should eventually become apparent. If they are not significant then that will also become apparent. This board is just a location to discuss ideas and data. We are not publishing any formal research papers here.

Second, I myself have several degrees in the physical sciences and am a professional analyst. I can usually tell good data from bad data. And I have a good idea regarding the direction in which good research needs to move. I don’t like wasting my time on useless research. And I have no plans to spend any on something which appears to have no future. If I am discussing something myself and recommending that people look into it then there is usually a good reason.

In other words, you don’t need to worry that the world of science is in danger of collapsing because of the ideas which are being discussed here.

Regarding Dr. Whiteside’s ideas, if you reread my 19945 note you will see that I did mention his name as I have in numerous previous notes. And while he was posting notes here we had some fairly lengthy discussions.

Something I am saying is that this geomagnetic storm – earthquake triggering business is technically complex. There are a lot of factors to consider. Here is an explanation of something which people are apparently not clear on. I am not an authority in this area but am simply assembling this picture from what I have read.

Solar storms can be any one of those types of storms I mentioned in that earlier post. Or they can be a number of different types of storms combined as with a CME.

If it is exclusively an electron solar storm then the Earth’s geomagnetic field gets populated with negative charges. And if I remember correctly that type of negative charge geomagnetic storm can promote earthquake triggering. One proposed mechanism involves the migration of positive charges from inside the fault zone to the Earth’s surface before an earthquake. And a negative charge geomagnetic storm would I believe enhance or amplify that process and encourage an earthquake to be triggered.

Additionally, if I remember correctly, negative charge geomagnetic storms cause charge to flow into fault zones. And the movement of that charge in the fault zone causes heating of its rock layers. Heating means expansion within the rock layers. And expansion produces instabilities and accelerates earthquake triggering.

If it is exclusively a proton solar storm (protons are the smallest positive charges) then the geomagnetic storm has a positive character. And in theory that would inhibit the earthquake related movement of fault zone positive charges to the surface. So earthquake triggering would be surpressed.

With photon solar storms (gamma rays, X-rays, visible light, radio waves), exactly what will happen would depend on what type of radiation was involved. Certain frequencies waves can probably couple directly with the Earth’s geomagnetic field and affect it in that manner. Some frequencies are absorbed by the atmosphere and indirectly affect geomagnetic field activity. Some frequencies such as visible light probably do not interact with the Earth’s geomagnetic field in any way and have no effect on earthquake triggering.

Finally, if this discussion ever gets sufficiently well advanced I might try to write and store a report on the subject matter at one of my Web sites. It would list the various theories in an organized manner. As it is the same things get talked about again and again in these notes.