Recent research, mostly from Japan and China, adds evidence to support the idea that earthquake lights are a result of electrical interactions between the lithosphere and the atmosphere.
The earthquake in Morocco generated exaggerated claims and subsequent news coverage of “earthquake lights” as well as faked videos and conspiracy ideas.
Social media accounts shared video of “earthquake lights” that appeared near Delhi, India after the Hindu Kush quake on 21-March. But the lights were not what was described in the media. They were, instead, reflection of nearby commercial lights on clouds.
The evidence for earthquake lights (EQLs) consists overwhelmingly of anecdotal accounts. But scientific evidence has been accumulating, and in the past 10 years a plausible theory to explain the host of unusual precursors has been proposed. This comprehensive guide examines the credibility and causes of earthquake lights.
A new paper by a seismologist suggests a South Carolina spook light legend may be related to seismic activity, but the conclusions fall far short of convincing.
Media outlets label electrical flashes during earthquakes as “earthquake lights”.
Many images and videos came out of the affected area in southern and central Turkey and western Syria from the February 6, 2023 series of quakes. Included were MANY inaccuracies, misattributed content, conspiracies, and pseudoscientific claims being shared and promoted by non-experts.
A series of giant earthquakes within the continental interior is strange in itself, but other notable phenomena associated with the New Madrid, Missouri quakes of 1811-2 made the events preternaturally awful. In this piece, I explore the scary and weird features that were said to accompany the New Madrid earthquakes.
A day after the east coast earthquake (now forever to be remembered by me as “the best birthday present ever!”), the Smithsonian issued a press release about the behavior of animals at the National Zoo, more than 80 miles from the epicenter of the quake. Some media outlets reported on the news as “animals go… Read More »
Glowing red areas of the sea spotted by pilots are posed as mysterious. But since 2022, we are pretty clear about the source.
Videos purporting to show the rare natural phenomenon of ball lightning are popping up on social media. Are they real or fake?
Interest in leylines or leys as paranormal energy pathways has surged in recent times as ghost hunters use the idea of spooky straight tracks to explain hauntings.
Email Contact: sharon(at)sharonahill.com ~Education~ B.S., Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 1992 Ed.M., Science and the Public, University at Buffalo: The State University of New York, 2010. My research focused on the idea of “sham inquiry” or passing off activities that look like science but really aren’t, what I called “being scientifical”. This pretend science happens in many subject… Read More »
A wrapup of anomalous phenomena associated with earthquake precursors and an assessment of their predictive potential
Examining claims of earthquake weather and lights.
I examine ideas about natural indicators for coming earthquakes. Do animals (and plants) react? Are there other clues from nature.
Exploring fantasy metals in media highlights their ubiquitous role as story elements with qualities such as rarity, strength, and magical powers. Used in education, they exemplify impossible chemistries to contrast with real-world elements. Unobtainium, Adamantium, Vibranium, and Mithril serve as plot devices while Orichalcum, Dilithium, and Red Mercury exist as quasi-real earth materials clouded by extraordinary myths.
Mystery booms and skyquakes are reported often in the news. Popular interest and fear in these strange sounds from the sky began in earnest in 2011 and continue to today.
Here we are in a new year! Let’s hope it’s a good one. Mystery booms and Skyquakes of 2022 In 2021, I began keeping track of mystery booms reported in the media. Mystery booms are unsettling because they signal some sort of danger from below ground, on the surface, or in the sky. Often, we… Read More »
In the past and even today, some believe that you can get to Hell via a portal or entrance from earth. There are countless tales of trips to the underworld made by mythical persons. There continue to be legends about gates to hell around the world that we might access today. Join me for a tour of Hell mouths.