Siesmo-ionospheric precursors of the 26 December 2006 M 7.0 Pingtung earthquake doublet

A network of ground-based GPS receivers, an ionosonde, and a Doppler sounding system have been employed to monitor the total electron content (TEC), electron density, and vertical motion of the ionosphere above Taiwan. Two M 7.0 offshore earthquakes occurred near Pingtung, the most southern county of Taiwan, on 26 December 2006. Analysis has revealed that the ionospheric TEC and F2-pear electron density (NmF2) surrounding the epicenters of the events decreased abnormally in the afternoon of the fourth day before the earthquakes, and quasi 3-minute fluctuations of pronounced vertical motion in the ionosphere also appeared over the last two days prior to the earthquakes. This is for the first time the pre-earthquake fluctuation signatures in the ionosphere being reported.