A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday night, leaving at least one person dead and significant damage in Acapulco, in Guerrero State. But the earthquake also roused terror for another reason: huge flashes of blue light in the sky known as “earthquake lights.” Experts interviewed by this newspaper say the phenomenon is caused by the release of energy before, during and after the tremor, and the flashes can be triggered by seismic activity and volcanic eruptions.
”The interaction between motion on the ground and the atmosphere is real,” said Víctor Manuel Cruz, a seismologist at the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). “Records show that an earthquake can produce dynamic disturbances and electromagnetic signals,” he added.
In the middle of the rainy night, many confused the flashes for lightning or electrical system failures. Although science has not offered a conclusive explanation for this phenomenon, most cite the release of energy during an earthquake. This might be linked to a phenomenon known as triboluminescence, where materials release light when they are rubbed, stretched or otherwise manipulated.
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com
