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.
Oarfish have an unfortunate and false association with earthquakes. A recent find of a dead oarfish associated with a small quake in Los Angeles made headlines as a doomsday fish.
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.