Volunteers searching in the rubble of collapsed houses in Tafeghaghte, southwest of Marrakesh, on … [+]
According to reports from businessinsider.com and The New York Times, videos shared on social media appear to show mysterious lights moving across the sky before a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the High Atlas mountains in eastern Morocco on Friday, September 8.
These lights, often referred to as earthquake lights, are said to be luminous phenomena observed before, during, or after a significant earthquake. They are described as brief flashes of light in the form of glowing clouds, orbs, or even flames emanating from the ground.
Initially, accounts of earthquake lights were regarded mainly as anecdotes, and most seismologists did not consider them seriously. However, in 1973, Japanese geologist Yutaka Yasui presented some disputed photographic evidence purportedly showing reddish and blue glowing clouds in the sky above Matsushiro during a series of earthquakes.
Based solely on the available online videos, it is more plausible that the bursts of light were caused by electric arcs between power lines and exploding infrastructure, such as transformers, in the city streets.
Similar incidents occurred in 2017 and 2021 when Mexico City experienced its strongest earthquakes in decades. Images and videos depicting luminous phenomena in the sky quickly went viral but were later revealed to be electric explosions reflected by the cloud cover.
Although there is currently no definitive proof of earthquake lights, they are not beyond the realm of extreme geological possibilities. Electromagnetic effects in the Earth’s atmosphere can produce glowing phenomena. It is also theorized that a temporary electromagnetic field could explain reports of malfunctioning electronic devices, particularly telephones, during an earthquake. According to this theory, in regions with active tectonics, electric charges can accumulate over time in deformed rocks. During an earthquake, a portion of this electric energy is released, resulting in visible sparks and brief flashes. The accumulated electric energy can also cause oxygen atoms underground to ionize. These ionized oxygen ions would then rise to the surface, forming a glowing cloud along fault lines.
The epicenter of Morocco’s devastating earthquake, which has claimed over 2,500 lives so far, was located at a shallow depth between 8 and 26 kilometers in the High Atlas Mountains, approximately 71 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh.
This area is not typically prone to frequent earthquakes compared to other locations near tectonic plate boundaries, where plate movements lead to intense seismic activity.
In Morocco, earthquakes are associated with reactivated faults that were formed over 250 million years ago during the breakup of the Pangaea supercontinent. As the Atlantic Ocean opened up, a graben structure was formed, bordered by parallel normal faults, in the Paleozoic rocks. Subsequently, Mesozoic limestone deposits filled this structure. Approximately 65 million years ago, the rotation of Africa and its collision with Europe caused the graben to close, reactivating the normal faults as steep reverse faults. Deformation along these reverse faults is ongoing as the Atlas Mountains continue to collide at a rate of about 1 millimeter per year.
