Positive holes flowing through stressed igneous rocks

AbstractIgneous rocks generally involve positive hole pairs (PHPs), a kind of lattice defects also known as peroxy links: O3X−OO−YO3 with X, Y=Si4+, Al3+, etc. When a portion of such a rock block is stressed or heated, PHPs are deformed and positive holes (p‐holes) are activated. These are defect electrons corresponding to the O− electronic state in the O2− sublattice and can propagate into the unstressed portion. Currents and positive surface electrifications detected in laboratory stressed igneous rocks can be explained by the p‐holes. When the p‐holes are activated in the Earth's crust accompanied by seismic or volcanic events, they will lead to anomalous electromagnetic phenomena and could affect electronic communications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 169(2): 1–5, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20944