Generic precursors to coastal earthquakes: Inferences from Denali fault earthquake

Recent research has shown evidence of strong coupling between the atmosphere and lithosphere in coastal regions, associating abnormal atmospheric phenomena to the occurrence of strong earthquakes. Surface latent heat flux (SLHF), total column water vapor (CWV), relative humidity (RH) and total ozone column (TOC), analyzed over the epicentral region of the Denali fault earthquake of November 3, 2002, exhibit anomalous behavior that could be related to the earthquake preparatory process and its occurrence. The complementary nature of the parameters provides strong support that the anomalous values were driven by lithospheric processes, rather than other atmospheric phenomena. Due to the wide availability of remote sensing observations of atmospheric parameters, the detection of anomalies can be used to mitigate the earthquake risks.