Uh oh, earthquakes add to these Strange Times
The earthquakes in New Jersey were unexpected and frightening. The events added to the general nervousness from the population prone to catastrophe thinking.
Category Archives: GeoHazards
When every flash is an earthquake light, we have lost the plot
Media outlets label electrical flashes during earthquakes as “earthquake lights”.
Rapid deep freeze can lead to frost quakes
Frost quakes can occur when water saturated ground undergoes rapid deep freezing. The energy release causes noise and shaking.
Tiny earthquake rattles hundreds of New Yorkers
A small quake was a big surprise and caused concerns for some city residents and first responders.
Wrath of Pele
The legend of Pele is relatively well known even outside of Hawaii. Her wrath, tears, hair, curses and legends are explored here.
Media hypes questionable “mysterious” earthquake lights
The earthquake in Morocco generated exaggerated claims and subsequent news coverage of “earthquake lights” as well as faked videos and conspiracy ideas.
Anomalous claims from Turkey-Syria earthquake 2023
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.
Spooky events from the New Madrid earthquakes
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.
Fireball “mud volcano” in Caspian Sea
On July 4, news started circulating about a huge explosion in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan captured on video. The first information was relayed by the state oil company, SOCAR, to the Russian news agency saying the explosion was real and probably caused by a “mud volcano”.
The fabled Blue Hole of the Pine Barrens
The fabled blue hole of the New Jersey Pine Barrens is rumored to be bottomless and the home of demons or monsters who will pull swimmers under.
Fillmore underground fire
A thermal anomaly in Fillmore, California emits gases and heat that can burn the vegetation. A form of spontaneous combustion, the underground fire is difficult to extinguish.
The “Hellmouth” Batagaika crater
A megaslump is affecting the villagers of Batagay in Yakutia, Siberia. Local legend is that it’s a mouth to hell. The area of land continues to slump and sink, changing the landscape and creating a hazard for the village.
Trapped in Quicksand
Quicksand was a deadly peril in unknown lands, according to pop culture in the late 1900s. But quicksand is a real thing and its creation (and your ability to escape from it) is a lesson in soil dynamics.
Trapped in flooded caves
From June into July of 2018, media coverage about 12 boys and an adult man trapped in a cave in Thailand transfixed people around the world. How did they get trapped and not be able to get out? Let’s talk groundwater and karst.
Earthquake Lights
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.
Sinkholes – Are you at risk?
There is something highly unnerving about the thought that the ground can give way into a gaping void that can swallow trees, cars, structures, and even people. How frightened should you be of sinkholes? While they can be catastrophic, they are not entirely unpredictable. Includes recent news events.
Misbehaving lakes: Three water bodies that exhale death gas
In August 1986, approximately 1800 people living in a 15-mile radius of Lake Nyos in Cameroon didn’t live to see the morning, dying by suffocation from toxic gas exhaled from the bottom of the lake.
Darvaza: Gate to Hell
The Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan is a pit formed after a mistake by exploratory drillers. Fueled by natural gas, it’s been impossible to extinguish and has been called a “gate to hell”. More appropriately, it’s been a gateway to tourist dollars.
Amazing fossils: Death scenes – geologically preserved
Earth processes can preserve exquisite detail and even a dramatic story of animals’ life and death. Several examples of incredible preserved or fossilized remains have been found.
Cracked, baby, cracked: The earth is splitting up with us humans
Ground cracks and long fissures in dry areas can indicate an over-extraction of groundwater. Some view these features as a sign of End Times or earthquakes. At least, it’s the end of easy to access clean water.