What is Spooky Geology?

Weirdness at the intersection between geological science
and beliefs about the earth


Mysterious earth phenomena

Geologic anomalies

Weird ideas about rocks, minerals, and the planet

I’ve been writing about the intersection of geology and strange ideas since 2017 and called it “Spooky Geology”. In 2024, I consolidated SpookyGeology.com with this main website.

Introduction to Spooky Geology

Spooky Geology content

  • Earthquake Lights Revisited – More Evidence Emerging
    One of the most productive topics under my umbrella of Spooky Geology has been that of Earthquake Lights (EQLs). I began researching the best ā€¦
  • Purple heart amethyst geode
    A quick post about some quirky geology today. Geodes are crystal-filled masses inside a larger body of rock. They are awesome. Scientists generally ā€¦
  • The many degrees of freedom of the griffin
    Of late, my interest has been in watching the definition of “cryptid” expand to include anything people deem mysterious and sentient. ā€¦
  • Listen: In Research Of… San Andreas
    Please give a listen to one of my (very few) favorite podcasts, where I join Jeb and Blake to go In Research Of… of the science and depictions ā€¦
  • Fantasy metals – not all Bolognium
    Science fiction and fantasy media regularly include magical or exaggerated substances as essential parts of the story. In this piece, I explore my ā€¦
  • Uh oh, earthquakes add to these Strange Times
    Ok, so this is not great timing. As I write this (updated 7 April), there have been 39 earthquakes in central New Jersey beginning with a real ā€¦
  • Eclipse Anxiety 2024
    A portion of the US population is getting nervous due to doomsayers spouting frightening rumors about the coming eclipse on April 8. Misinformation ā€¦
  • Moodus, spooky geology
    Moodus: The Place of Bad Noises
    Originally published 14-October 2019 Many places on earth regularly seem to experience mysterious booming noises. Most often, these noises occur near ā€¦
  • cursed rocks
    The Curse of the Souvenir Rock
    Popular lore warns that if you take a rock or object from a sacred land, a curse will fall upon you until you return the object. What is the origin ā€¦
  • When every flash is an earthquake light, we have lost the plot
    Media outlets are picking up and recirculating a thin story about an earthquake light (EQL) that was caught on video (actually, a video recording ā€¦
  • Rapid deep freeze can lead to frost quakes
    It’s been awfully cold in many parts of the US this week. As I tried to ignore the wicked wind outside, I thought, hmm, this is frost quake ā€¦
  • Blowholes and a dragon’s nose
    There is nothing better than when two of my favorite subjects collide. When I was scrolling #cryptidtok, I came across a video of a hole in the ā€¦
  • Tiny earthquake rattles hundreds of New Yorkers
    An earthquake measuring only 1.7 Ml shook many residents on Roosevelt Island, the Upper East Side, and Astoria, Queens on January 2, 2024. A loud ā€¦
  • pele
    Wrath of Pele
    Originally published May 2018. In 2018 Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, put on a big show with activity at Kilauea volcano on Hawaii. ā€¦
  • Islands of the Dead are eroding
    Coastal erosion reveals human remains on spooky islands that served as mass graves long ago. New York’s Island of the Dead Hart Island is New ā€¦
  • Media hypes questionable “mysterious” earthquake lights
    Claims of blue flashes and floating balls of light were associated with the strong quake of September 2023 in Morocco and almost every sizable ā€¦
  • Not earthquake lights in India.
    Earthquake lights (pseudoEQLs) video from India
    On 21-March 2023 at 16:47 UTC, an M 6.5 earthquake was recorded in the Hindu Kush region, 40 km SSE of Jurm, Afghanistan (36.523Ā°N 70.979Ā°E). The ā€¦
  • Not earthquake lights
    Anomalous claims from Turkey-Syria earthquake 2023
    With a flood of images and videos coming out of the affected area in southern and central Turkey and western Syria from the February 6, 2023 series ā€¦
  • Electric rocks
    Viral videos of electric rocks
    January 22, 2023 was the height of a wave of social media posts about what people claimed were “electric rocks” found in the DR of Congo. ā€¦
  • Yummy Rocks
    A fun collection of rocks that look like food. I’ve been gathering pics of rock and mineral specimens that look remarkably like edibles. Have ā€¦
  • paranormal vortex
    Paranormal Vortex Areas
    Itā€™s a common claim by paranormalists that there are special places on earth where ā€œenergyā€ whirls are responsible for strange phenomena reported at ā€¦
  • Devils hole
    Devils Hole
    Many sites have been given the creepy name of “Devils Hole”. The most famous Hole is in Death Valley, Nevada, where a notch in the rock ā€¦
  • New madrid earthquake
    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, ā€¦
  • Sodom and Gomorrah, spooky geology
    Sodom and Gomorrah – A geomythological parable
    Geomythology is the study of explanation myths related to actual geologic events that may have been witnessed by people. The Bible contains several ā€¦
  • Killing stone
    Japan’s “killing stone” splits
    The infamous Sessho-seki, a protected boulder in the volcanic area of Mount Nesu in Japan, has split. The break occurred around March 5, 2022. A ā€¦
  • cavern
    Booming sounds attributed to karst
    Some residents of Silver Spring Township in southcentral PA began to experience booming noises days after heavy rain deluged the area in September ā€¦
  • mystery booms
    Mystery booms and skyquakes
    The world is a noisy place. But some sounds shake you to your foundation. Mystery booms that come out of nowhere and have indiscernible sources scare ā€¦
  • Boston earthquake
    Peabody’s booming earthquake swarm
    August 2021Peabody, Massachusetts Residents of Peabody have been experiencing booming sounds that rattle their houses and nerves. A public meeting ā€¦
  • Gate to hell, spooky geology
    Gates to Hell and Hellmouths
    Maybe there is some crazy logic to the idea of a geologist examining the question of Hell as a real place. With the widespread belief that another ā€¦
  • mud volcano
    Fireball “mud volcano” in Caspian Sea
    On July 4, 2021 news started circulating about a huge explosion in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan captured on video. The first information was relayed ā€¦
  • Oracle of Delphi, Spooky Geology
    Oracle of Delphi: Snake Death Gas or God’s Breath
    The colorful and dramatic accounts of the Oracle of Delphi in Greece spanning many centuries appear to be strongly related to the geological setting ā€¦
  • Spooky Geology
    Demon or dino print on the Appalachian Trail
    On April 18, 2021, the Northeast Archeological Resources Program posted a picture on their Facebook page of what appears to be a four-digit foot or ā€¦
  • Waukesha water
    Healing waters of Waukesha turned sour
    The healing waters of Waukesha eventually led to woes as the fabled springs dried up and the groundwater was radioactive.  In 1868, a tired, ā€¦
  • bottomless, spooky geology
    The fabled Blue Hole of the Pine Barrens
    The Pine Barrens area of New Jersey has plenty of small lakes or ponds that people call “blue holes”. Because of the legends surrounding ā€¦
  • cookie monster agate
    Cookie monster agate
    A geode infilled with milky blue quartz/agate bears an uncanny resemblance to Sesame Street’s infamous Cookie Monster.  The rock was found ā€¦
  • spooky geology, underground fire
    Fillmore underground fire
    The Fillmore underground fire is a patch of ground on private property just outside the Los Padres National Forest, in Ventura County, California. ā€¦
  • spooky geology, hexenplatte
    Hexenplatten – the witches’ stone
    In Ardez, Switzerland, there is a flat slab of calcareous shist, sometimes referred to as limestone, whose surface is pitted. Legend has it that ā€¦
  • bottomless pit, spooky geology
    Legends and science of bottomless holes
    There are countless holes in the ground. Some have water. Some are just open void and darkness. When we canā€™t readily discern the depth, the hole ā€¦
  • Ringing rocks
    Ringing rocks and sonorous stones
    We expect a certain dull, earthy, *chink* sound when rocks are hit with a hammer. We do not expect rocks to ring like metal bells, chimes or gongs ā€¦
  • Hellmouth Batagaika
    The ā€œHellmouthā€ Batagaika crater
    If the land under you was sinking and falling at this rate, youā€™d be worried too! Villagers of Batagay in Yakutia (Sakha Republic, Siberia) ā€¦
  • Pic de Bugarach
    Pic de Bugarach: The mysterious mountain
    Pic de Bugarach in Aude, France, is a place that effortlessly combines natural wonder and legends. Add to its history a heaping portion of serious ā€¦
  • Quicksand, spooky geology
    Trapped in Quicksand
    Once upon a time, adventurers into unknown lands feared quicksand – a deadly hazard that looked like a sand patch or a harmless puddle. Step in ā€¦
  • Lechuguilla-Cave
    Discovery of weird water pool in Lechuguilla cave
    The photo of a mint-green, pristine pool in Lechuguilla cave circulating on social media resulted in expressions of speculation, wonder, and a desire ā€¦
  • eye agate
    Eye agate: The rock that looks back at you
    For thousands of years, people have imparted metaphysical powers to crystals and rocks, using them as healing or protecting charms or talismans. ā€¦
  • mimetolith, spooky geology
    Faces in Places: Mimetoliths
    The word ā€œrock faceā€ is not usually to be taken literally. Yet, around the world, all cultures find familiar-looking forms that appear spontaneously ā€¦
  • gravity hill, spooky geology
    Gravity Roads, Magnetic Hills, and Mystery Spots
    Around the world, there are areas that have gained a reputation for being strange and mysterious because gravity appears to not work the same ā€¦
  • hollow earth
    Pole Holes and the Hollow Earth
    In the 1940s, Richard Shaver wrote about mysterious experiences he had in which he was receiving information from telepathic evil robots inside the ā€¦
  • Devil's corkscrew
    Devil’s Corkscrews
    In the late 19th century, Nebraska’s settlers came across bizarre, giant ā€œstone screwsā€ vertically embedded in the ground. The big ones could ā€¦
  • moving rocks
    Moving rocks of the Racetrack Playa
    We all can comprehend how rocks break apart due to heat and frost action and fall due to gravity. But, for a long while, there was a popular mystery ā€¦
  • Devil's punchbowl
    Devil’s Punchbowl
    All around the world are remnants of a party of epic proportions – Devils Punchbowls. Though, in some cases, the punching was taken more ā€¦
  • devil's gate
    Devil’s Gate
    Several sinister and infamous places around the world have been named the Devil’s Gate and come with legends of murder, magic, and monsters. ā€¦
  • Devil's kitchen
    Devil’s Kitchen
    Something evil may be cooking up in places given the name of the ā€œDevilā€™s Kitchenā€. In this piece, I examine some of the most famous locations that ā€¦
  • Devil's Den, spooky geology
    Devil’s Den
    Devil’s Den is an infamous collection of large diabase boulders within the Gettysburg National Battlefield. In 1863, much blood was shed in the ā€¦
  • Devils head
    Devil Places
    There are countless places in the world named after the Devil (and variations of an evil one in other words and languages). If variations are added ā€¦
  • Thailand cave rescue
    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. The ā€¦
  • earthquake lights
    Earthquake Lights
    Despite centuries of reports of anomalous luminous phenomena (ANP) – lights, glows, flames, sparks and clouds – before, during or after ā€¦
  • sinkhole
    Sinkholes – Are you at risk?
    Perhaps some people have an exaggerated fear of sinkholes. The thought of the foundation falling out from under our feet is terrifying when the ā€¦
  • flat earth
    Anti-globular convictions: Flat Earth belief explodes in popularity
    I gave an overview of Spooky Geology concepts in 2017 to my local geological society. I began the presentation by discussing the most absurd idea ā€¦
  • Board camp crystal mine
    Strange lights and levitating rocks at Arkansas crystal mine
    Springing from the spine of Arkansas’ Ouachita mountains are several commercial crystal mines open for public collecting of sizable quartz ā€¦
  • Devils tower
    Devils Tower: UFO Bulls-eye
    Devilā€™s Tower in Wyoming had historically served as a beacon to land travelers. In 1977, it was portrayed as the bullseye for extraterrestrial ā€¦
  • Lake Nyos
    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 didnā€™t live to see the morning, dying by suffocation ā€¦
  • London Hammer
    The hammer entombed in rock
    A tenet of geology is that rocks are old. Therefore, objects of human origin embedded in rock suggest that the rock formed after the object was ā€¦
  • stone tape, spooky geology
    Haunted rocks: The Stone Tape theory
    This version of my research into the “stone tape theory” was originally posted on my Spooky Geology blog in 2017. A version of the same ā€¦
  • psychometry
    Psychometry in geology
    The geologist will meticulously measure and sample an outcrop to discern information about it. What if there was a much easier, speedier way to ā€¦
  • Darvaza gate to hell
    Darvaza: Gate to Hell
    There are many places around the world that locals have branded the ā€œgate to hellā€. One of the most dramatic examples is the Darvaza (Derweze) crater ā€¦
  • Dowsing: Witching for water
    Dowsing or water divining doesnā€™t work any better than chance or through use of surface clues. So why does it still spark heated arguments and create ā€¦
  • Fairy Stones (natural crosses)
    Almost all minerals, gemstones and rock types are associated with some superstitious or supernatural motifs. A common twinning habit of the mineral ā€¦
  • leylines
    Leylines: From the old straight track to Ghostbusters
    Published February 2017 A few years ago, a paranormal investigator acquaintance who knew I was a geologist asked me what I thought about leylines ā€¦
  • amazing fossils
    Amazing fossils: Death scenes – geologically preserved
    For inducing fear and unease, dead things are big-time spooky. Geological factors can result in recording death in particularly captivating ways, ā€¦
  • ground fissure
    Cracked, baby, cracked: The earth is splitting up with us humans
    Last updated 11-Sept-2024 Sometimes the earth splits open for no apparent reason. Itā€™s pretty frightening to witness giant, miles-long ground cracks ā€¦
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