What this is all about is piezoelectricity. Stresses in the earth squeeze rock plate and if it is the right kind (silicates kind of like quartz) this generates high voltages which ionize air and it glows.
I will never forget being in a tornado in Minneapolis once with clouds at ground level; the air friction generated static charge and the oxygen in the air glowed green. The clouds were bright green! Really amazing.
EQLs are similar events where the air is made to glow.
By the way, it has been discovered that lightning generates X-rays! The high voltages accelerate electrons to high energies and they radiate photons up in the X-ray frequencies.
What this is all about is piezoelectricity. Stresses in the earth squeeze rock plate and if it is the right kind (silicates kind of like quartz) this generates high voltages which ionize air and it glows.
I will never forget being in a tornado in Minneapolis once with clouds at ground level; the air friction generated static charge and the oxygen in the air glowed green. The clouds were bright green! Really amazing.
EQLs are similar events where the air is made to glow.
By the way, it has been discovered that lightning generates X-rays! The high voltages accelerate electrons to high energies and they radiate photons up in the X-ray frequencies.