Continuous gas monitoring in the West Bohemian earthquake area, Czech Republic: First results

Abstract

Two stations monitoring concentrations of carbon dioxide and radon in soil gas (Oldřisska and Nový Kostel) and one station monitoring flow of carbon dioxide at a mofette (Soos) have been operated in the area of the West Bohemian earthquake swarms. We present preliminary results obtained on the base of four-year observations. We found that data are not influenced considerably by barometric pressure. Although the CO2 concentration varies greatly, the long-term trends at stations Oldřisska and Nový Kostel are similar, which indicates that the CO2 flow is controlled by common geogenic processes. Also temporal trends of CO2 and Rn concentrations in soil gas at individual stations are analogous. We found diurnal variations of both CO2 concentration in soil gas and the CO2 flow at mofettes due to the earth tides. A response to tides of semi-diurnal period is insignificant in CO2 concentration and only weak in the CO2 flow. We also examined possible pre-seismic, co-seismic and post-seismic effects of the intensive 2008 earthquake swarm on the CO2 concentration at Oldřisska and Nový Kostel, and on the CO2 flow at Soos. However, all potential indications were insignificant and there has not been proven any influence of the swarm on the CO2 concentration as well as on the CO2 flow. Nevertheless, a gradual decrease of amplitudes of diurnal variations before the swarm and the lowest amplitudes during the swarm is a noteworthy phenomenon, which might indicate the strain changes of the rock associated with earthquake swarm.