The characteristics of quasistatic electric field perturbations observed by DEMETER satellite before large earthquakes

• The quasistatic electric field perturbations by DEMETER varies from 1.5 to 16 mV/m.
• The electric field perturbations were located just over the epicentral area.
• The perturbations occurred one day before 10 among 27 seismic groups.
• Anomalous signals were similar before mid latitudinal and equatorial earthquakes.

This paper presents new results after processing the ULF electric field (DC-15 Hz) observed by DEMETER satellite (h = 660–710 km). Typical perturbations were picked up in quasistatic electric field around some large earthquakes in 2010 at first. And then, 27 earthquakes were selected to be analyzed on quasistatic electric field in two seismic regions of Indonesia and Chile at equatorial and middle latitude area respectively. Three-component electric field data related to earthquakes were collected along all the up-orbits (in local nighttime) in a limited distance of 2000 km to the epicenters during 9 days with 7 days before and 1 day after those cases, and totally 57 perturbations were found around them. All the results show that the amplitude of quasistatic electric field perturbations varies from 1.5 to 16 mV/m in the upper ionosphere, mostly smaller than 10 mV/m. And the perturbations were mainly located just over the epicentral area or at the end of seismic faults constructed by a series of earthquakes where electromagnetic emissions may be easily formed during preparation and development processes of seismic sequences. Among all 27 cases, there are 10 earthquakes with perturbations occurring just one day before, which demonstrates the close correlation in time domain between quasistatic electric field in ionosphere and large earthquakes. Finally, combined with in situ observation of plasma parameters, the coupling mechanism of quasistatic electric field in different earth spheres was discussed.