Multi-dimensional distribution of near-field ionospheric disturbances produced by the 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake

Ionospheric anomalies possibly associated with large earthquakes, particularly coseismic ionospheric disturbances, have been detected by global positioning system (GPS). A large Nepal earthquake with magnitude Mw7.8 occurred on April 25, 2015. In this paper, we investigate the multi-dimensional distribution of near-field coseismic ionospheric disturbances (CIDs) using total electron content (TEC) and computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT) from regional GPS observational data. The results show significant ionospheric TEC disturbances and interesting multi-dimensional structures around the main shock. Regarding the TEC changes, coseismic ionospheric disturbances occur approximately 10-20 min after the earthquake northeast and northwest of epicentre. The maximum ridge-to-trough amplitude of CIDs is up to approximately 0.90 TECU/min. Propagation velocities of the TEC disturbances are 1.27 +/- 0.06 km/s and 1.91 +/- 0.38 km/s. It is believed that the ionospheric disturbances are triggered by acoustic and Rayleigh waves. Tomographic results show that the three-dimensional distribution of ionospheric disturbances obviously increases at an altitude of 300 km above the surrounding epicentre, predominantly in the entire region between 200 km and 400 km. Significant ionospheric disturbances appear at 06:30 UT from tomographic images. This study reveals characteristics of an ionospheric anomaly caused by the Nepal earthquake.