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.
