Pictures of large Oar Fish have been splashed over news reports in the past week. But some people fear that the very unusual die off is a sign of impending seismic activity.
Oar fish live in abysmal marine depths, 3000 feet or more, and rarely are they seen even by depth divers. So the sudden sights of not one but two large oar fish on the west coast of the United States has sent some scrambling.
The oar fish, to boot, showed no sign of injury or disease, fueling even deeper fears of some impending cataclysm. And that is because many mariner's tales, and some Japanese mythology tie the sighting or beaching of oar fish to large seismic earthquakes.
What the myths might have however, in truth, is that preceding a large seismic event, especially if it originates under the sea bed, some volcanic gases, or just electrostatic changes that can shock the fish, are released from shifting terrestrial plates. Such events can cause fish die off, or at least cause distress sufficient to send the large fish scurrying for safety in shallower waters, where they usually die due to the fact that they cannot live at such shallow depths.
Electrostatic charges furthermore can promote the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is toxic to fish. Or it could poison fish that the oar fish feeds on. It could also, again, force the fish upward, to their death.
Right before and after the catastrophic Japanese tsunami and earthquake, Japanese citizens say they did sight a number of the oar fish along the eastern coast of Japan.
However, some scientists say that oar fish sightings, although uncommon, do occur from time to time, without being followed by earthquakes. And the deaths could be caused by disruptions from the passage of submarines or other underwater exploration.
source : the Independent/ 10.23.13
No comments:
Post a Comment