Storm sudden commencements and earthquakes

We have investigated statistically the problem of possible impact of the geomagnetic storm sudden commencement (SSC) on the global seismic activity. SSC are used as reference points for comparative analysis of seismicity by the method of superposed epoch. We selected 405 earthquakes from 1973 to 2010 with М ³5 magnitudes from a representative part of USGS Catalog. The comparative analysis of seismicity was carried out at the intervals of ±60 min relative to the reference point. With a high degree of reliability, it was found that before the reference point the number of earthquakes is noticeably greater than after it. In other words, the global seismicity is suppressed by SSC. We refer to some studies in which the chemical, thermal and force mechanisms of the electromagnetic field action on rocks are discussed. We emphasize the incompleteness of the study concerning the correlation between SSC and earthquakes because we still do not succeed in understanding and interpreting the relationship in terms of physics and mathematics. The study need to be continued to solve this problem of interest and importance.