After the big earthquake that occurred in Turkey on February 6, 2023, interest in “earthquake clouds” has increased among Japanese people. Some speculate that the mysterious rose-shaped clouds seen in Turkey in mid-January were a precursor to an earthquake.
Even an influential urban legend YouTuber connects the two events and claims, “There is almost no doubt that various abnormal phenomena are occurring on Earth.” deny existence.
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![Photo: Archyde.com/Aflo]()
Photo: Archyde.com/Aflo
Singer ASKA “Many ‘earthquake clouds’ are appearing in the sky of Tokyo”
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in Gaziantep province in southern Turkey. Turkish media “Milliyet” reported that the death toll reached 5,984 as of the 8th.
Faced with an unprecedented situation, several Japanese people can be found on SNS talking about the great earthquake in Turkey in connection with “earthquake clouds.”
On January 19th, a huge red cloud with overlapping circles was photographed over Bursa in western Turkey, and it became a topic around the world that it looked like a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object). There is widespread speculation that this was the harbinger of an earthquake.
An urban legend YouTuber with about 900,000 subscribers on the 7th said, “The countdown to the end of the world may have begun” when he took up natural phenomena such as this red cloud before. “I didn’t want it to hit me,” and, “It’s said that (red clouds) have nothing to do with earthquake clouds, but there’s almost no doubt that various abnormal phenomena are occurring on Earth.” warned.
On the 7th, singer ASKA also tweeted, “Since yesterday, several ‘earthquake clouds’ have appeared in the sky of Tokyo.”
The clouds found in Turkey are called “lenticular clouds” according to several foreign media outlets. It tends to occur in areas with high mountains, and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) explains, “It forms when moist air is forced up near mountains and volcanoes.”
“If you’re worried about an earthquake, check your daily preparations.”
Bursa, western Turkey, where the lenticular cloud was found, is about 950 kilometers from the epicenter of Gaziantep province. It corresponds to the distance from Tokyo to Yamaguchi Prefecture.
why was it red? Forbes said it was because it was taken at sunrise. At that time the sun will be below the horizon. Light with short wavelengths, such as blue and violet, scatters because there is a lot of atmosphere through which light passes. Therefore, visible light with long wavelengths (yellow, orange, red) can be seen more clearly. Orange and red colors become more vivid when the atmosphere is dusty.
The existence of “earthquake clouds” is denied in the academic world. The Seismological Society of Japan explains on its website that “earthquake researchers generally believe that there is no relationship between clouds and earthquakes.” The following two points are cited as grounds for this.
“The problem is that we have not considered a mechanism that directly or indirectly links earthquakes, which are underground phenomena, with clouds, which are atmospheric phenomena. Although it is possible for electromagnetic waves to be generated by microfractures, there is no theory that fully explains how electromagnetic waves generated deep underground are transmitted to the surface of the earth. Even so, there is no theory that adequately explains the mechanism by which these electromagnetic waves generate seismic clouds.”
“Even if the mechanism is unknown, if the definition of ‘seismic clouds’ is clear, and if there are many reports of correspondence between ‘seismic clouds’ certified according to certain standards and large earthquakes, it will be possible to empirically or statistically ‘ can be regarded as a precursor to an earthquake, but in reality, most of the ‘earthquake clouds’ that have been reported are (omitted) insufficient or unclear, making statistical analysis difficult.”
The Japan Meteorological Agency also states, “The occurrence of distorted clouds and earthquakes is nothing more than two seemingly unrelated phenomena that occur with a certain frequency, and it is currently not scientifically possible. We have not been able to treat it as such.”
After the earthquake in Turkey, meteorological researcher Kentaro Araki tweeted, “As I’ve said many times, clouds are not a precursor to earthquakes. It is impossible for children who can explain academically to judge the effects of an earthquake from the appearance of clouds.If you are worried about an earthquake, check your daily preparations. states the need.