Research sheds light on quake mystery

A dark hole of knowledge about strange lights seen during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake has been illuminated by new research out of North America.

Many witnesses recounted seeing white and blue lights in the sky before, during and after the quake.

Cameras near Lyttelton Road Tunnel and Princess Margaret Hospital were also reported to have caught blue flashes after the quake.

Researchers writing in the latest issue of Seismological Research Letters have found this phenomenon was caused by a type of earthquake in which one of the Earth's tectonic plates was pulled apart, creating a rift.

The tension during this process created an electronic charge, which turned into light when it reached the surface.

Earthquake lights have been seen worldwide, with some only at ground level and others being projected into the sky.

Pedestrians during a 2009 earthquake in the Italian city of L'Aquila reported fire flickering from the stone pavement of their town's historical city centre.

This was one of 65 of the best-documented earthquake light events in North America and Europe the researchers studied.

They found 97 per cent of the events happened during continental rift earthquakes, similar to the ones that hit Christchurch.

Those types of earthquakes made up just 5 per cent of all quakes, as most quakes occurred when two plates collided, not when one plate was pulled apart.

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Research sheds light on quake mystery