'Earthquake lights' seen during southwest Taiwan quake
台灣西南部地震出現“地震光”
| Weather bureau suggests light phenomenon caused by energy release from quake
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cameras on Alishan captured a luminous optical phenomenon during an earthquake that struck Chiayi on Tuesday. Just minutes after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, the Alishan National Scenic Area Headquarters posted camera footage of the quake on its YouTube and Facebook pages. In the videos, large flashes of light appeared successively in different locations in the plains of Chiayi County. The videos sparked online discussions, with some suggesting the flashes were caused by electrical arcs from power lines or transformers, while others called them "earthquake lights." The Central Weather Administration said the phenomenon could be caused by the immense energy released by crustal displacement, per Up Media. In addition to causing ground vibrations, such seismic events can produce light and sound. “This is a way of releasing energy,” said the CWA. There is not yet a scientific consensus on the cause of earthquake lights. However, Friedemann Freund, an adjunct professor at San Jose University, postulates that when certain defects or impurities in crystals in rocks are put under tectonic stress, they can suddenly split apart and generate electricity, per CNN. Other theories suggest that light is caused by static electricity generated by rock shattering and radon emanation. |
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| Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-01-21 |
