Satellites detected earthquakes in Turkey and Syria several weeks in advance

How could space technology save lives during earthquakes? A new study suggests that satellites can detect early warning signs of earthquakes much earlier than previously thought. This breakthrough could revolutionize our approach to predicting these natural disasters and potentially save thousands of lives.


Researchers worldwide are examining anomalies in the ground, atmosphere, and ionosphere to develop early warning systems. Satellites are becoming key instruments in this quest, monitoring various physical and chemical parameters.

Professor Mehdi Akhoondzadeh and his team used data from Chinese and European satellites to analyze the earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023. This study utilized data from the Chinese CSES-01 satellites and the European Space Agency's Swarm mission.

Anomalies in surface temperature, air humidity, and atmospheric gas levels were detected several days before the earthquakes. Variations in water vapor, methane, ozone, and carbon monoxide appeared 12 to 19 days before the earthquakes.

Changes in the density and temperature of electrons in the ionosphere were observed just before the earthquakes. Ionospheric anomalies were detected between 1 and 5 days before the quakes, indicating a possible origin in the ground propagating to higher atmospheric layers.


Professor Akhoondzadeh explained that anomalies in the ionosphere were detected for the first time before the earthquakes in Turkey on February 6, 2023, thanks to data from the CSES-01 satellite. He also highlighted that studying anomalies associated with multiple seismic precursors helps reduce uncertainty in detecting actual anomalies, which could effectively create seismic warning systems with a low number of false alerts.