Negative activation volume for dielectric relaxation in hydrated rocks

TL;DR

This study discovers negative activation volumes in hydrated rocks, indicating dielectric relaxation times decrease with pressure, potentially explaining pre-earthquake electric signals.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of negative defect activation volumes in hydrated rocks, linking dielectric relaxation behavior to earthquake precursor signals.

Findings

Negative activation volumes observed in hydrated rocks

Relaxation times decrease with increasing pressure

Potential link to pre-earthquake electric signals

Abstract

Negative defect activation volumes are extremely rare in solids. Here, we report for the first time that this holds in a couple of hydrated rocks for dielectric relaxation by exploring the complex impedance spectra at various pressures and temperatures. The present findings mean that the relaxation time of the relevant relaxation mechanisms decreases upon increasing pressure, thus it may become too short at higher pressure and hence lead to the emission of transient electric signals before fracture. This may constitute the long-standing laboratory confirmation for the explanation of the generation of electric signals prior to an earthquake, as recently pointed out by Uyeda et al [Tectonophysics 470 (2009) 205-213].