Article Image

IPFS News Link • Mexico

Strange 'Earthquake Lights' Accompanied Mexico's 8.2 Quake

• http://www.shtfplan.com, Mac Slavo

The mysterious lights in the sky following the massive earthquake were a shock to those in the area. Numerous videos have been cropping up on social media showing the flashes brighten the night sky above Mexico City, but the flashes aren't lightning coming from the clouds above, or even lights from planes.

The mysterious lights didn't immediately have an explanation.  But now, the flashes of light are instead thought to have been caused by the 8.2 magnitude earthquake itself. More specifically, the lights come from a particular type of rock.  A study published in 2014 revealed that these lights can come in many forms, such as bluish flames, orbs of light, or quick flashes that resemble lightning.

"In certain types of rocks this accumulation of stress can break up pairs of negatively charged oxygen atoms in the ground, allowing them to flow up to the surface as an electrical current through cracks in the rock," said Leila Ertolahti, an adjunct professor of geology at Farleigh Dickinson University, to Gizmodo. "If enough atoms are present they can ionize pockets of air and form a plasma, or charged gas, that emits light."


midfest.info