The Nisqually Earthquake Lights: What Really Happened in 2001?
On February 28, 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Nisqually Delta near Olympia. Buildings cracked, the Capitol dome was damaged, and the ground liquefied in places. But something else happened that day — something in the sky.
Dozens of witnesses reported seeing strange luminous phenomena before and during the quake. Balls of light — green, blue, and white — were seen hovering over the Nisqually River delta, the Capitol campus, and the waters of Budd Inlet.
"Earthquake lights" are a recognized but poorly understood phenomenon. Theories range from piezoelectric effects in stressed rock to ionization of groundwater. But the Nisqually lights were different — they moved with apparent purpose, changed direction, and in some reports, seemed to respond to observers.
Seismologists at the University of Washington documented the reports but couldn't explain the directed movement patterns. Some lights were captured on security cameras at the State Capitol.
Captain Ron was in downtown Olympia when the quake hit. "I saw them," he says simply. "Three green orbs rising from the direction of the delta. They hung there for maybe ten seconds, then shot straight up and vanished. That wasn't piezoelectricity."
