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REVIEW article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geochemistry
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2024.1488690
This article is part of the Research Topic Faults and Earthquakes Viewed by Networks, Monitoring Systems and by Numerical Modelling Techniques View all 6 articles

The Role of Gas Emissions (He, Rn, and CO2) from Fault Zones in Understanding Fault and Seismic Activity

Provisionally accepted
jiye li jiye li 1Zhaofei Liu Zhaofei Liu 2*Zhi Chen Zhi Chen 2Yan Gao Yan Gao 1Yongmei Hao Yongmei Hao 1Hongbiao Gu Hongbiao Gu 3
  • 1 Heilongjiang Earthquake Agency, Heilongjiang, China
  • 2 Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China
  • 3 School of Transportation Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Liaoning Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Active fault zones are critical pathways for the migration of deep fluids to the Earth's surface, carrying gases such as He, Rn, and CO2 that provide evidence for the physical and chemical dynamics of the Earth's interior. This review examines the geochemical characteristics of fault zone gases and their implications for understanding fault activity and seismic events. Fault zones with high activity levels exhibit significant gas release, and variations in soil and hot spring gas concentrations can serve as indicators of seismic activity. Changes in gas concentrations and isotopic ratios, particularly before and after earthquakes, reflect the dynamic interplay between deep-sourced and shallow-sourced fluids. Seismic-induced stress alterations enhance gas release along fault zones, leading to observable anomalies that can aid in earthquake monitoring and prediction. The study underscores the importance of isotope tracing in deciphering fluid sources, migration pathways, and the evolution of fault zones, providing valuable information for assessing tectonic activity and mitigating seismic risks.

    Keywords: Gas emission, Fault zone, Fault activity, Seismic activity, earthquake forecasting

    Received: 30 Aug 2024; Accepted: 08 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 li, Liu, Chen, Gao, Hao and Gu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhaofei Liu, Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.