Earthquake cloud

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Merge arrow
 It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Earthquake weather. (Discuss)
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.
Please help recruit one or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details.
Please consider using {{Expert-subject}} to associate this request with a WikiProject
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

Earthquake clouds are clouds claimed to be signs of imminent earthquakes. The analyses of earthquake clouds as a form of earthquake prediction are generally not accepted by seismologists and other scientists.

In chapter 32 of his work Brihat Samhita, Indian scholar Varahamihira (505 – 587) discussed a number of signs warning of earthquakes: Unusual animal behavior, astrological influences, underground movements of water, and extraordinary clouds occurring a week before the earthquake.

Since 1994, Zhonghao Shou, a retired Chinese chemist living in New York, has made dozens of earthquake predictions based on cloud patterns in satellite images, and claims to have a 70% accuracy. Stress and friction in the ground can vaporize water long before the earthquake happens, according to Shou, and clouds formed through these mechanisms are distinctively shaped. He has identified five different types of earthquake cloud, including "line-shaped", "feather-shaped", and "lantern shaped" clouds. He claims that an earthquake will take place within 103 days of the appearance of one of these clouds, and that the average time is 30 days. On December 25, 2003, one day before the Bam earthquake, he predicted an earthquake of mag. 5.5+ within 60 days over a fault line in Iran. Due to this correct prediction, in May 2004, he was invited to a workshop by the UN and the Iranian Space Agency, with meterologists, geologists, and seismologists present. Some of the scientists present, including Ansari Amoli, believe this is an area worthy of serious study. However, a large majority of seismologists do not believe that there is a direct correlation between the earthquakes and cloud forms[1].

Historical records have indicated a possible correlation between clouds and earthquakes in the ancient civilizations of Rome, India, and China.

Earthquake clouds were spotted before the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.[2][3]

[edit] See also

[edit] Resources

  1. ^ The Cloudspotter's Guide, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, 2006, ISBN 0-340-89589-6
  2. ^ Bizarre phenomenon photographed 1 hour before the quake (Chinese). The Epoch Times (2008-05-14). Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
  3. ^ "Buddha's Halo" appears at Nanguo Temple (Chinese). Tianshui Online (2008-05-12). Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
  • "A temblor from ancient Indian treasure trove?". (April 28, 2001). The Times of India

[edit] External links