Underwater lightning bolts in the Pacific Ring of Fire baffle scientists
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Underwater lightning bolts in the Pacific Ring of Fire baffle scientists")
Lightning occurs under the sea surface in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Lightning should not occur under the ocean, but this is exactly what happens in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Ancient people used them to navigate in the dark. Scientists have tried to explain them for decades, but have yet to solve the mystery.
Under the surface of the Pacific Ocean, from Sumatra and Java in the west to Chile in the east, lightning bolts have been seen under the surface. They are not dependent on storms and quickly vanish, just like the lightning in the sky. The phenomenon in the Ring of Fire is known as te lapa, or "the flashing." However, scientists are still trying to figure out what causes them. Experts say that ancient Polynesian wayfinders used these bolts of lightning in the seas to navigate.
Cultural anthropologist Marianne George is one of the few to see them in the Ring of Fire at the isolated island of Taumako in the Solomon Islands. She describes them as "a torch that was lit and instantly blown out." Marianne also noticed that they emerged from submerged land, possibly why they used them to locate land.
Marianne made multiple trips to Taumako to try to understand the origin of te lapa. She published a study in Time and Mind in 2013, in which she stated that researchers are looking at bioluminescence and electrical/magnetic phenomena to figure out what causes te lapa.
Current technology cannot understand the lightning bolts
Marianne also admits in the study that current scientific tools might not be advanced enough to measure or detect it, or researchers simply don't have access to the gear needed out at sea. Later, she hypothesised that the constant tectonic shifts in the Ring of Fire that cause volcanic eruptions in the belt could trigger electromagnetic emissions from the islands, creating the phantom lights that appear like lightning.
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However, there are certain things that have been ruled out as the source. Stars, satellites, and any other cosmic event are not responsible for this occurrence. St. Elmo’s Fire, the bluish-purple plasma, remained a contender, but soon scientists figured out that it cannot occur underwater. Submersibles detected voltage spikes around hydrothermal vents and volcanoes on the Pacific floor, triggering theories about electrical discharges. But since saltwater is a strong conductor, any electrical charge would not build up.
Also Read: Scientists stumbled upon four pitch-black eggs 20,000 feet below ocean. They turned out to be…
The mystery of lightning in the ocean remains unsolved
For now, experts think that plate tectonics and strange conditions in the deep sea could be causing this lightning in the Pacific. Harvard professor and researcher John Huth said, "There is currently no definitive explanation of the origin of te lapa." He added, "One possibility is that it is the byproduct of fish darting in a patch of sea that is rich in dinoflagellates (microorganisms that glow in the dark), which emit light in response to pressure waves." Further research is required to figure out if they play a role in it. Until then, the flashes of lightning remain a mystery.
