LAUSR

Abstract Accurate prediction of earthquakes has long been an objective in the earthquake monitoring community. This study considered abnormal fluctuations of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) that occurred both before and after the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan earthquakes, and it was found that these fluctuations had good correlation with both seismic earthquake events, excluding meteorological factors (wind speed, temperature, relative humidity). A buffer zone around the fault was determined optimal as the seismogenic zone to explore the AOD abnormal fluctuations, which suggested that the fracture zone was the preferred channel via which aerosols were transported into the atmosphere. By exploring the relationship between the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan earthquakes, it was established that AOD fluctuation in the Lushan buffer zone had good correlation with the Wenchuan earthquake. It proved that the Wenchuan earthquake had a promoting effect on the Lushan earthquake.