A model for the correlation between radon anomalies and magnitude of earthquakes

Radon isotopes can be measured at the earth's surface by using Solid State Track Detectors and other alpha counters. The measurement of 222Rn in the subsurface soil is being used extensively for uranium exploration and earthquake prediction. In order to exploit the data on radon anomalies for earthquake prediction, it is important to establish a relationship between amplitude of radon anomalies and earthquake parameters. In this paper, a model for the correlation between radon anomalies and the magnitude of the earthquakes is proposed and tested for the available earthquake data. The calculations based on the model show that the observed radon anomalies depend on the magnitude of earthquakes. Our preliminary results confirm that the model can prove useful for earthquake prediction. (author)