A possible case of SES selectivity at Kozu-shima Island, Japan

Geoelectric potential difference monitoring has been conducted in Kozu-shima Island about 170 km south of Tokyo. During the monitoring period (14 May 1997-30 November 1999), there were 21 anomalous geoelectric changes that could have been VAN-type seismic electric signals (SES) and 26 M>3 earthquakes within about 20 km. Possible correspondence between the geoelectric changes and earthquakes has been examined. There seems to be some systematic tendency regarding the dependence of appearance/non-appearance of changes and their polarity on epicentral location. This observation, however, is preliminary and admittedly inconclusive because of small number of cases and non-uniqueness in signal-earthquake correlation. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.