Talk:Earthquake light
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[edit] Requested merge
Earthquake_cloud → Earthquake_light — Regarding this issue I strongly disagree. This are two distinct phenomena, eventhough the cause is most likely the same; the effects cloud/light are evidently different in nature. That merits two separate articles, unless a more comprehensive article integrates them such as Earthquake_signs for instance. Abestrobi (talk) 00:46, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Circumhorizontal arc
The phenomenon described here is in no way 'similar to aurora borealis'. It is the same as a circumhorizontal arc, an atmospheric optical effect that has been described and explained thoroughly, and that appears in many places. It is caused by the refraction of light in certain types of clouds, when the sun is high in the sky. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumhorizontal_arc :) 145.23.254.155 (talk) 08:25, 19 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Explanation for videos showing a Circumhorizontal arc
I agree with the comment from 145.23.254.155 above, the youtube videos linked by this article shows (clearly in my opinion) a Circumhorizontal arc. See the wikipedia article for a good image of one and see how well it matches the videos. See also http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/cha2.htm for details. Note that the purported time of the videos was around 14:00 local time May 12 at a latitude of 34 degrees North (Tanshui is at 34°35′N 105°44′E).
If you plug that data into http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi you will find the Sun's elevation was between 63 and 68 degrees. This is entirely consistent with the observations: sun must be above 58 degrees (yes); the arc appears red closest to the sun and bluish further away (yes); the arc appears horizontal (yes); the arc appears 44 degrees away from the sun (67 minus 44 is 23 degrees above horizon, which looks about right).
The text in the article has a "citation needed" tag for the claim that it shows a circumhorizontal arc. The above should be sufficient for an intelligent layperson to at least verify that it is not a mysterious phenomenon. I do not know how else one could obtain a reliable source for the same. The paragraph appears to give weight (implicitly) to a connection with the earthquake, when I do not believe there is a reliable source. Here is the paragraph:
On May 12, 2008, 30 minutes prior to the Sichuan Earthquake, a cell phone captured footage of multi-colored clouds in the sky (see external link below). The footage was uploaded to Youtube[5]. There is also footage from Meixian, Shaanxi province approximately 550km northeast of epicenter [6] recorded 10 minutes before the event. However, the footage appears to show a circumhorizontal arc, which is caused by refraction of the sun's light through ice particles in a cirrus cloud, and is similar to a rainbow.[citation needed]
I feel it should be removed or substantially rewritten. Opinions? -84user (talk) 15:45, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Merging with Earthlights
No one discussed the proposed merging of Earthquake Lights with Earthlights so I took the liberty of merging them as it's been a suggesting for a long time. I think they are more commonly called Earthlights so I made this the main article. If anyone objects then open a discussion. Cyberia23 00:13, 21 January 2007 (UTC)
Well, I'm too late to prevent your merging them, but earthquake lights are brief but huge, on the order of the aurora borealis. Earthlights or Will o' the wisps are wispy, leprechaun-sized flames produced by natural gas that hover just over the ground. Therefore I will edit this page into shape. Speciate 06:53, 26 January 2007 (UTC)
- I don't think Earthquake Lights have anything to do with Will-o-wisps which I thought were supposed to be ghosts or faeries of legend. I didn't add the "Other Names" section, someone else did. Cyberia23 22:46, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Paul Devereux link?
Is it worth adding a link to the entry for Paul Devereux? He is one of the most cited authors on the subject in terms of identification of earthquake lights/earthlights as UFOs etc. What do you think? DiabolicalMasterspy 20:03, 29 July 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Earthquake in Peru
Some people have reported these lights during the earthquake off the coast. It's not verifiable but there is a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNy6YQB8nnw which supposedly has footage of the lights. They're visible somewhere around the 48 second mark.--Zeph1 16:54, 16 August 2007 (UTC)
That was real, here we have another video, earthquake in Peru, Aug. 15th 2007 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5qep7TbylA&mode=related&search=
[edit] Before 05/12/08 Sichuan earthquake
Youtube videos show 'things' (rainbows or Aurora-borealis) the 12 may 2008 before the China (Sichuan) earthquake :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u43I4YRMmDM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQHY-0c1hYE
The 05/02/08 7 days before there was a Volcano Erupts in Chile -after 9,000 years- meaning that earth activity is at its roof
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/photogalleries/volcano-photos/index.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.27.60.48 (talk) 10:06, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
- How can we know that these videos took place before the May 12, 2008 earthquake? James Lednik (talk) 07:07, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
- We cannot, but I see no reason to doubt it, the elevation angles for the arc are consistent with the time and latitude claimed. See my Talk:Earthquake light#Explanation for videos showing a Circumhorizontal arc above. -84user (talk) 15:45, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Merging with Earthquake cloud
I agree with the proposal to merge these articles. Earthquake cloud should redirect to Earthquake light as it seems that they are the same phenomenon. It seems that when the earthquake is in the night, people talk about lights and when quake in is the day time, people talk about "cloud", but the "cloud" seems to produce light and is not a defraction of other light source like in a rainbow. Lpele (talk) 15:15, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
Maybe they should go under the article "Atmospheric earthquake phenomena". 76.236.66.133 (talk) 19:14, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
- Hi. I oppose this proposal, especially if earthquake cloud is redirected to earthquake light. They are not nessecarily the same thing, see Talk:Earthquake cloud. It appears that earthquake clouds are not always luminous, and earthquake lights don't always involve clouds. Thanks. ~AH1(TCU) 20:01, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
