On the biophysical mechanism of sensing upcoming earthquakes by animals

Various days prior to earthquakes various electromagnetic perturbations occur, detectable by instruments hundred of kilometers away from the future epicentre.

It is proposed that animals can detect these signals (specifically the so called Seismic Electric Signals consisting of single unipolar pulses, that have frequencies of ~0.01 Hz and electric field intensity on the order of ~0.00001–0.0001 mV/mm) and a mechanism to that detection is proposed:

Polarized EMFs can cause irregular gating of electro-sensitive ion channels on the cell membranes with consequent disruption of the cell electrochemical balance.

Sensing of upcoming thunderstorms by sensitive individuals is also proposed to be a consequence of this mechanism.