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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
