Experimental Study on Microwave Radiation From Deforming and Fracturing Rock Under Loading Outdoor

Previous studies have shown that thermal infrared anomalies can be detected in the crust rocks in satellite infrared images before an earthquake. However, thermal infrared remote sensing is easily affected by weather conditions because of the short wavelength of infrared radiation. In this paper, instead of infrared radiation, we focus on the microwave radiation characteristics of loaded rock. First, a microwave observation system was built to observe the loading process of rocks in an outdoor environment with a cold sky background. Then, the microwave radiation changes in the loaded granite samples during elastic deformation and fracturing stages were analyzed. The experiments yielded the following results. First, the microwave brightness temperature has a linear positive correlation with the load in the elastic deformation stage of the granite samples, and lateral pressure accelerates the changes in the microwave radiation. Second, the microwave brightness temperature usually decreases as the rock develops layered fractures but increases as the rock develops surface fractures, which significantly alter the surface morphology and roughness. The mechanisms responsible for the changes in microwave radiation during the rock deformation and fracturing processes are discussed. This study demonstrates the potential ability to use microwave-sensing satellites to observe seismogenic processes and earthquakes.