Maximum electron concentration and total electron content of the ionosphere over Concepción, Chile, prior to the 27 February 2010 earthquake

Ionospheric variability observed prior to mayor earthquakes has been studied for decades. In particular, in many such studies the identification of ionospheric precursors of large earthquakes has been regarded as a specific goal. This paper analyses the observations of the maximum electron concentration (NmF2) over Concepción (36.8°S; 73.0°W) and of the total electron content (TEC) for an area covering the rupture zone corresponding to the very large Chile earthquake of 27 February 2010. The analyses used here are similar to those published before for many earthquakes in Taiwan, Japan and Russia. Possible NmF2 and TEC precursors are compared with other precursors proposed for the same earthquake using different TEC determinations and satellite observations of electron/ion concentration, energetic particle bursts and electromagnetic emissions. Some possible precursors derived from the various observations are consistent with each other. However, none can be unambiguously associated to the Chilean earthquake.