loading…
Strange light before the Morocco earthquake measuring M 6.8 on Friday 8 September 2023. (Photo: Capture CCTV)
JAKARTA – The appearance of a strange light before the Morocco earthquake measuring M 6.8 on Friday 8 September 2023, leaves many questions. The devastating earthquake claimed 2,862 lives.
Scientists noted that similar lights appeared in the ancient Greek era centuries ago, before the disaster occurred and during the 2007 earthquake in Pisco, Peru.
However, until now there has been no complete explanation regarding the mystery of this light and its causes. “But the explosion was definitely real,” said John Derr, a retired geophysicist who once worked for the US Geological Survey. He has co-authored several scientific papers on earthquake lights or EQL.
Video of a mysterious flash of light was caught on CCTV on Friday (8/9) at 23.08 local time, before the Moroccan earthquake. Almost the same phenomenon as in Peru.
Physics professor at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Juan Antonio Lira Cacho, said video cameras and CCTV made it easier to study earthquake light phenomena.
“40 years ago that was impossible. If they saw it, no one would believe it,” he said, quoted by CNN.
Different Shapes
The earthquake light phenomenon occurs differently. John Derr in the 2019 edition of the Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics, wrote that sometimes the light is similar to ordinary lightning or perhaps like a luminous band in the atmosphere similar to a polar aurora.
At other times, it resembles a glowing ball floating in the air. Earthquake light may also appear as small flames flickering or traveling along or near the ground, or larger flames emerging from the ground.
