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.
Musing on the 1979 episode of In Search Of episode about the San Andreas fault and earthquake movies.
The earthquakes in New Jersey were unexpected and frightening. The events added to the general nervousness from the population prone to catastrophe thinking.
Amidst misinformation surrounding the April 8 solar eclipse, many in the US succumb to unfounded fears. While eclipses are natural, predictable phenomena, rumors of catastrophes, like earthquakes and power outages, persist. Authorities prepare for human, not celestial, issues as crowds gather to view the event. Though there isn’t a connection between such natural events and disasters, superstitions and doomsday predictions thrive, exploiting public misunderstanding and religious sentiments.
Media outlets label electrical flashes during earthquakes as “earthquake lights”.
Frost quakes can occur when water saturated ground undergoes rapid deep freezing. The energy release causes noise and shaking.
A small quake was a big surprise and caused concerns for some city residents and first responders.
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.
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.
Natural disasters happen every day. The people who can help prepare society for them are not psychics or crank pseudoscientists but those who study events inside out and upside down – scientists. Those who consider prediction a part of their research and responsibility range from weather forecasters to seismologists and volcanologists. It’s a great responsibility to… Read More »
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 »
If you are a geologist bound by a professional code that includes using the best scientific procedures and evidence, then it’s unethical to promote dowsing. Condoning a process which is scientifically questionable or invalid is a breach of this code. A similar argument can be made for earthquake prediction. There have been several instances where… Read More »
Remember that the year began with mass animal deaths? It continued with revolution in the Middle East. And, poor Australia was hit with the wrath of the gods. (What did you guys do? Just kidding.) Now, we have catastrophic earthquakes – one after another – and a wicked tsunami. With all the political turmoil and… 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.