Cloud anomaly before Iran earthquake (vol 29, pg 1921, 2008)

In the 1980s Russian scientists found a thermal anomaly before an earthquake and abnormal cloud above an active fault. In the following 20 years, thermal anomalies were widely studied, however abnormal cloud was seldom reported. Here geostationary satellite sensor data was used to study the abnormal cloud above the Iran active fault. The linear traces with high temperature in thick clouds spread along the main tectonic structures. Sixty-nine days later a M6.3 earthquake occurred close to the abnormal clouds. The same clouds appeared on 25 December 2005 and 64 days later a M6.0 earthquake occurred. In these two cases, the abnormal clouds indicated the rough area of the future epicentre. If geophysical measurement data, satellite thermal data and abnormal cloud data are combined, it is possible that it will contribute to earthquake studies.