Thermal Anomaly and Land Surface Temperature Associated with the Abuja, Nigeria Earth Tremor of 7th September 2018

Abstract

Satellite thermal infrared has proven to be a veritable tool in earthquake studies and has recorded anomalies in association with fault systems and prior to major earthquakes perhaps where ground seismic data are not available. This study aims at verifying if TIR anomalies can be found in association with low-magnitude events which took place in a basement complex geological terrain with medium- to high-density local fault system. This is carried out by systematically applying remote sensing analysis techniques to imagery recorded prior to, during, and immediately after the earth tremors, such as recorded in Abuja and environ in 5–7 September 2018 in Nigeria. MODIS satellite thermal images were used to study the relation between thermal anomalies and seismic activity while the remotely sensed aeromagnetic data was used to decipher the fault system and also provide information about the lineament juxtaposition of the terrain. A NE distribution of the TIR around the major faults was observed before the mainshock and showed that the spatial temperature rose by 10–13°C and suddenly attenuated on the day after the aftershock. It was inferred that reactivation of faults in the weak/sheared zones of the FCT, triggered by strain energy released and propagated through the seismically active NE-SW Romanche fault from the Gulf of Guinea, could be the most plausible causative factor of the tremor.