Latest news with #SeismologicalResearchLetters
New York Post
30-04-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Major chunk of Pacific coast from California to Canada will sink into the sea if mega-earthquake hits this spot, doomsday study warns
This should have West Coasters shaking in their shoes. Hundreds of miles of coastline in the Pacific Northwest could go straight into the drink if another major earthquake strikes the region, an alarming new study warned. A 600-mile-long earthquake hotspot off the Pacific Coast could be due for another monster rumble — and if one happens, shorelines from northern California to Vancouver, Canada, could suddenly sink 6 feet or more. Towns and cities for hundreds of miles would find themselves in a brand new floodplain, at risk of catastrophic floods and tsunamis at any moment, according to the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The aforementioned earthquake minefield is called the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an undersea fault line roughly 100 miles off the coast of North America. 6 A beach in Samoa, California, which could be underwater if an earthquake hits. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images 6 Damage from a 1964 quake in Anchorage, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey 6 A map of earthquake hotspots around the Pacific Ocean showing the Cascadia Subduction Zone. FEMA A big quake there could send massive tsunamis hurtling toward the shore and change the landscape forever. It could double the 'flooding exposure of residents, structures and roads,' the study warned. Bridges, power lines and other infrastructure would need to be totally rebuilt or else risk instant destruction in a major storm. The land at risk of flooding would increase by 116 square miles (the equivalent of five Manhattans), the number of people living in floodplains would increase from around 8,000 to 22,000 — and the number of at-risk structures would go from around 13,000 to 36,000, according to the study. Those grim numbers are more than a hypothetical guess: The study's authors looked at data from another monster earthquake that wiped out a section of Canadian coastline in 1700. 6 An off-road vehicle drives the sandy trails of the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area in Samoa, California. 6 Dust rising from the side of a cliff after an earthquake in Coleville, California, on July 8, 2021 via REUTERS 6 Graphics from the study published in 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' show the possible effects of a major Cascadia quake. PNAS Oral histories by the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, in present-day Vancouver Island, tell of shaking that was so intense they thought two cosmic beings — a thunderbird and a whale — must be fighting it out. Whole forests and villages plunged into the sea, and only one in 600 people living in the area are said to have survived, according to a paper published in Seismological Research Letters. Modern science has backed up that terrifying tale: Researchers discovered 'ghost forests' and fields of native grasses that seem to have been submerged in moments — a kind of geological snapshot of what could happen if the proverbial thunderbird and whale get into another scrap. Earthquakes are impossible to truly predict, but in the next 50 years, scientists have put the odds of a major quake at 7-12% in the Cascadia Zone, and 37-42% for just the southern section, which includes northern California and Oregon. By the year 2060, those odds will have roughly doubled, according to the United States Geological Survey. So if you buy a beach house in the Pacific Northwest, you might also want to get a canoe.
The Independent
17-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists finally crack mystery of eerie ‘ghost lantern' orbs linked to strange whispers and slamming doors
Stories of strange 'ghostly' light orbs spotted hovering over railroad tracks around Summerville, South Carolina, and linked to eerie sounds in the area could be due to a seismic phenomenon, a new study says. The lore of the 'Summerville Light' holds that a strange light rarely seen in a remote part of the town is a lantern carried by the ghost of a woman who once waited hours for her husband to return. Sightings of the strange light began to be spun into ghost stories circulated in the 1950s to 1960s, including instances of the orbs slamming doors and making eerie sounds. Now, a new study, published in the journal Seismological Research Letters, suggests at least some of these strange light sightings could be attributed to natural phenomena from earthquakes too small to be felt. This phenomenon, known as earthquake lights, has been observed around the world in the form of glowing spheres, sparks, pillars and other shapes. However, until now, there has been no accepted theory for a possible mechanism behind their appearance. Some theories suggest the light orbs sighted during such quakes could be from the ignition of released underground gases like methane, or radon, or due to an electric discharge from fault movements. In the latest study, seismologist Susan E Hough from the US Geological Survey suggests Summerville's 'ghost' lore could be resulting from the area's unusual mix of shallow faults and railroad tracks in the eastern US. Dr Hough assessed historical accounts of the strange light orbs found in newspapers and books from local bookstores, and compared them with data on earthquakes in the region. The Summerville Light sightings began to be reported in the 1950s and 1960s. And only a few kilometres away there were three magnitude 3.5 to 4.4 earthquakes recorded in the area in 1959 and 1960. Summerville's strange light phenomenon might be shallow earthquakes in the area that could have released a water-soluble gas like radon or methane, which then got ignited by a spark of static electricity or rock movement, the seismologist says. Steel rails of an abandoned railway line and nearby scrap heaps could have also generated an igniting spark, the study said. 'From working in Charleston I know that when old tracks were replaced or repaired, the old tracks weren't always hauled away. You find piles of old metal along the tracks,' Dr Hough said. She suspects gases trapped in water droplets may also explain why the ghost lights in some of these tales seem to occur on dark and misty nights. The seismologists said more studies are needed to confirm if this proposed mechanism can account for earthquake lights. However, she said the theory can be tested easily by using gas detectors to look for escaping gases, or by conducting experiments to look for shallow faults. 'Maybe here we have an example of the recipe for the environments that might generate earthquake lights. And maybe the friendly ghosts are illuminating fault zones in the east,' Dr Hough said.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Experts Think This Haunting Ghost Story Could Be the Result of a Strange Geologic Phenomenon
A railroad track in South Carolina is reportedly haunted by the 'Summerville Ghost'—a ghastly apparition that appears as balls of light. A new study from a seismologist from the U.S. Geological Survey may have solved the mystery. The light is likely caused by a gaseous emission from the Earth itself, possibly as a result of earthquakes. Nearly every town in America has its local legends—the scary stories told at sleepovers or around campfires that someone's friend or cousin always swears they totally saw for real one time. In the town of Summerville, South Carolina, they have the tale of the 'Summerville Ghost.' The story involves a man who either worked for the railroad or simply walked along the tracks every day, depending on which version of the story you hear. (It's been told since the 1950s, so some details vary over time.) One day, that man was struck by a train coming down the tracks that ran between Charleston and Summerville, and in some versions of the story, was even decapitated. But the Summerville Ghost isn't the spirit of the headless man who died on the tracks. Instead, it's supposedly the man's wife. As the blog South Carolina Haunted Houses summarizes: 'In life, the woman would meet her husband every night and the two of them walked back to their house by lamp light{...} Unable to process his death, she continued her ritual of waiting at the train tracks. It is said that her ghost emits a green light that hovers above the road. Some witnesses claimed the light followed them, while others admitted to an overwhelming feeling of sorrow and despair.' Believable or not, there are thousands, maybe millions of these stories across the country and around the world. But what sets Summerville apart is that, according to seismologist Susan Hough, there might be some truth to this one. As reported by IFLScience, Hough—who works at the US Geological Survey (USGS)—has developed a theory to explain not just the lights that define the sightings of the Summerville Ghost, but also the other supposed signs of hauntings that have been reported in the area 'such as cars shaking, doors slamming, and whispered voices being heard without a source.' As you might have guessed, given that Hough is a seismologist for the USGS, the study she and her team recently published in Seismological Research Letters chalks the haunting up to a geological phenomenon—specifically, tremors and earthquakes. Hough attributes the cars shaking to 'earthquakes with a shallow source,' while the whispered voices were likely 'high-frequency shaking noises resulting from tremors,' because 'sound waves at frequencies of 20–200 Hz are within the audible range.' But what about the ghostly lights? That, Hough suggests, could have a few causes. One possibility is a gaseous release from within the earth: 'The gas release hypothesis involves two possible mechanisms,' Hough explained to IFLScience. 'As an inert gas, radon will not ignite, but could potentially be associated with a glow discharge phenomenon, whereby electrons move to an excited state and then fall back to their ground orbital shell. This usually happens at low temperatures, close to the freezing point. [The study] Enomoto (2024) presents other ideas, involving gamma rays in the atmosphere, and radon or radon/methane gas release.' Of course, there's also the possibility that it is an ignited gas, lit by sparks emitted from the train on the tracks. 'But the association could have a different explanation,' Hough notes, '…for example the tendency of railroads to follow corridors that were carved out by faults.' Hough's study was motivated by more than just a desire to be the X-Files' Dana Scully of the geological world, of course: 'The study felt too frivolous for words when I started, but could actually help address a difficult and important problem: which of the many preexisting faults in the east (and elsewhere) are active? Are there more potential seismic zones than the small handful that have produced large earthquakes during the short historic record?' 'My hope,' she concludes, 'is that ghost stories might provide a useful target for investigations, both to understand earthquake lights, and to identify shallow active faults in eastern North America.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
