# Atmospheric Charge Separation Mechanism Due to Gas Release from the Crust before an Earthquake
## 2 Physical Modeling
The range of the ionization effect of radioactive materials in the Earth's crust on the atmosphere is limited to less than 1 km, the influence range of the radioactive material in the atmosphere is limited to less than 5 km and the cosmic line increases with increasing height. In the 3-4 km range, cosmic rays account for 97% of the total radioactivity, and within the range of 5-6 km and above, the atmospheric ionization rate is largely produced by cosmic rays. Whether over land or sea, 3 km is the dominant cosmic line, so the above still applies. Figure 3: Decay of radioactive elements and their decay periods (Units of time: a—year, d—day, h—hour, and min—minute, s—second. (**a**) shows the uranyl system decay, (**b**) shows the actinide system decay and (**c**) shows the thorium system decay. The upper left corner indicates the two directions for a-decay and b-decay, respectively.). Planetary geological activities can significantly impact the ionization environment of space. Planetary geological activities can cause anomalous signals in the atmospheric electric field, and the possible mechanism by which planetary geological activities can alter the ionization environment of space was analyzed and determined. The movement of solid planets, such as the Earth, moon, Mars and other planets, leads to the fragmentation or melting of rocks and the dissolution or phase change of minerals. Some of the daughter isotopes of radioactive parent isotopes retained in certain minerals or rocks can be released in large quantities. In this decay process, many particles are also released, with a particle energy of 5.2 MeV. Atmospheric analysis requires ionization to generate 32 eV of energy, so one particle can produce 150,000 pairs of positive and negative particles, thus filling the air with numerous ion pairs. At the stage of planetary geological activity, the ionizing radiation of radioactive material produces millions or even hundreds of millions of ion pairs, which promotes the hydration process in the atmosphere (water vapor is combined with other particles). In the hydration process, the excess kinetic energy of molecules is released, which is then converted into heat energy, resulting in the characteristic heat release. Measurement of the radioactive material in planetary environments can facilitate a greater understanding of future conditions. Radioactive decay involves four main processes: the natural uranium, actinium and thorium series, plus an artificial radiation system. The uranium series, starting with \({}^{238}\)U and ending with sTable \(2^{06}\)Pb, includes notable isotopes like \({}^{222}\)Rn and \({}^{234}\)Th, with 238U having a half-life of 4.468 billion years. The actinium series begins with 235U, ending with sTable \(2^{07}\)Ph, and involves intermediates such as 227 Ac (half-life of 21.772 years) and 223 Ra. The thorium series, starting with 232 Th and ending with sTable \(2^{08}\)Ph, includes isotopes like \({}^{228}\)Ra and \({}^{220}\)Rn, with \({}^{232}\)Th having a half-life of 14 billion years. These series release substantial energy, contributing to underground heat and potentially influencing seismic activity. The high density of isotopes like \({}^{238}\)U, with a density of 19.1 g/cm\({}^{3}\), is significant for industrial applications and cosmic dating. Water molecules are combined more easily with positive ions. Based on hydration processes and atmospheric sources of positive and negative ion production [23], we can assume that the mass of positive ions is greater than that of negative ions. To simulate the main physical process, only a single positively charged particle and a single negatively charged particle were considered. All suitable forces eventually result in the rapid separation between two particles with different charges. Logically, numerous positive and negative ions undergo a separation process. Finally, the separated ions form a corresponding polarized electric field in the air. In general, the corresponding polarized electric field is oriented upward (from the ground to the sky).