The article in the following URL uses some strange terms, "dormant charge" being one.
EarthObservatory - Dormant Charges
The author of the article took a great deal of technical liberty in his made-for-public descriptions. Hidden in the statements implies that earth ground charges have great mobility and can be locally clustered, which is equivalent to atmospheric physicists models. I suspect the development of large charge differentials deeper in the crust are the result of a sustained piezoelectric event that creates a regional zone of charge separation.
Quote:
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These charges are not easy to pin down. They move with impressive speed, as fast as 300 meters (1,000 ft.) per second," he said.
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I do not know how the speed was measured. The effect on the ionosphere suggests surface charge levels that are as extreme or greater than those that occur during an overhead atmospheric electrical event, but covering a greater area. The mobile charges and enhanced local charge density suggests that earth conductivity could change significantly in the area of these charges.
Are there any studies where the earth's electrical conductivity has been measured when it is reasonably assured there are areas of increased charge density (nearby thunderstorms)?
