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Science Forum Index » Geology - Earthquakes Forum » Earthquake Light Precursors & the geology of Channel Islands
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| Jeff B. |
 Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 8:52 am |
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Guest
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Hi there.
A few days ago (04/23/07 around 03:00 PM), two pilots observed from
opposite directions a light phenomenon over Guernsey (altitude: 2000
feet, exact location: the Caquets reef - information from the Jersey
ATC Paul Kelly who collected the consistant informations from the two
pilots). This sighting and the testimony of the pilot Ray Bowyer was
reported by the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/guernsey/6591365.stm
(the UFO picture of the BBC news is a generic picture, not an image of
the reported phenomenon).
A passenger of Ray Bowyer's plane imaged (with his cellular phone)
this light phenomenon that appears to be near the surface (Ray says
that he saw it at approximately 2000 feet of altitude):
http://quickimagehosting.com/Image/orfjzlvn (maybe 20 miles away)
Given the angular size of the phenomenon on the picture (a cellular
phone camera has a typical Field Of View of 50°-60°), it seems to have
a kilometric width.
It appears similar to http://nisee.berkeley.edu/elibrary/getimg?id=S1229
observed in Japan in 1996 but i am not a geophysics specialist.
Anyway, a few hours later, a 4.3 earthquake shaked the south east of
England. The epicenter is 200 miles distant from the Jersey pilots
sightings.
Could it be that those lights are seismic precursors of this
earthquake or EQLs ?
F. Freund (*) thinks it may well be, but it will be difficult to get
more conclusive data since i have not any access to any other data
than those testimonies and this poor quality photo. I asked to the Pr
Freund if he knows about the structure of the underground that may
favor the emergence of EQLs to the surface. Here is his answer (he
warned me that our understanding of those EQLs is still very
rudimentary):
You ask about the underground structure that would help such plasma
states to form and to confine them until they become unstable and
break out. There is some interesting evidence from field observations
that lamprophyres may play a role. Lamprophyres are volcanic rocks
that are, so I understand, either rich in or associated with massive
carbonate rocks. We know from other experiments that carbonates may
act as a "confinement" barrier to the propagation of pholes.
Therefore, if there are massive carbonates in the underground and if
stresses build up that would eventually lead to an earthquake, such
carbonate rocks may help confine high phole concentrations (by simply
preventing them from escaping into the wider environment). They may (a
big "may") form the bottle in which a plasma state can more easily be
reached than under other conditions. How water would enter into the
picture... I don't know. The high dielectric constant of water, 81
versus typical rock values around 8, may help or may be detrimental.
I need your expertise and any pertaining data about the geology of the
channel islands (Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney,...): locations of the
faults, formation and structure of the underground, presence of
lamprophyre formations, etc...
Respectfully,
Jean-François Baure
(*) F Freund about the Saguenay EQLs:
http://elfrad.com/FranceStLaurent_IWSE_2005.pdf |
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