Detection of ULF electromagnetic emissions as a precursor to an earthquake in China with an improved polarization analysis

Abstract. An improved analysis of polarization (as the ratio of vertical magnetic field component to the horizontal one) has been developed, and applied to the approximately four years data (from 1 March 2003 to 31 December 2006) observed at Kashi station in China. It is concluded that the polarization ratio has exhibited an apparent increase only just before the earthquake on 1 September 2003 (magnitude = 6.1 and epicentral distance of 116 km).