West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society

This document will attempt to bring together the numerous and often conflicting information studies regarding geology and paranormal activity. As is true with most paranormal information, solid scientific evidence has only been applied to the field in a passing manner, making it difficult to weed out fact from fiction. More study is, of course, in order.

In order to relate how geology can possibly be involved in hauntings or other paranormal experiences, it’s important to have some understanding of the planet and its makeup. The Earth is a ball of molten rock, surrounding what is believed to be a solid iron core, with a thin crust of plates called the lithosphere. While they appear to be solid to those of us who live on them, on a geological time scale the plates move around, slide against each other and often dive under one another, folding and rippling as they go along. On occasion, we are treated to an example of these movements in the form of small ruptures and displacements along seams, cracks, meeting places between the plates and so forth, which we call “earthquakes.”

The very nature of the make up of our planet – its iron core – along with the spinning and twirling of the molten rock (magma) below the crust creates a magnetic field which both envelopes and protects the Earth. Numerous field fluctuations and variations in mineral deposits contribute to the polarity of the Earth and its magnetic field – the reason that the Magnetic North Pole is currently in the direction of a little spot not far from Ellesmere Island, though it does drift continuously and is actually due to flip to what’s currently the direction of the Magnetic South Pole, based on ancient geological study.

So how does all of this affect us? How does it relate to the paranormal, and in particular hauntings? Why should it matter if I live in a fault zone or if there is fault activity near my house, particularly when I might be experiencing something out of the ordinary?

To begin, we must understand that certain elements, particularly quartz crystals, are capable of what’s called piezoelectric charge. This is the tendency for a crystal, quartz in particular, to produce an electrical charge across opposite faces when put under strain. This can be observed in certain lighters, where no flint is used but instead a piece of quartz is pressurized to create a charge which releases a spark and ignites the fuel.

All production of electricity involves magnetism. Magnets can be used to produce electricity, and electricity can be and is used to produce magnetism. Radio waves are basically minute magnetic waves of energy, produced by electricity, detected at a distance. You can hear lightning on a radio, which is natural energy production of electricity and magnetism. And electricity can be produced within elements where there is quartz, such as granite. Crushing granite produces an electric charge – though the charges and resulting magnetism are very small and basically cancel each other out.
Strain can be put on minerals in other ways though, such as through plate tectonics. Dr. Friedemann Fruend, apparently in an attempt to discover how to predict earthquakes, has suggested the Tectonic Strain Theory (TST), in which electrical charges can be induced in igneous rock – normally an insulator – through unusual stress or strain (such as tectonic or fault-line activity), turning the rock in to semiconductors. These then allow charges produced to travel around underground and possibly reach the surface. Basically, small electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) can occur, sometimes even visible in the form of “earthquake lights”.

Semiconducting rocks and traveling EMPs aren’t ghosts, though. Here’s where certain theories can meet science; one such theory – based in part on certain observations of battery drain in active haunted locations – states that ghosts, whatever they may be, use electromagnetism as a form of energy to manifest themselves and create paranormal events. Another theory is that this electromagnetism is a by-product of the manifestation (and interferes with battery operation, thus making a battery seem dead one moment and fully charged the next). Electromagnetic fields are measured by certain instruments, used in industry and whose operation in detection of electromagnetic fields is therefore verifiable, carried by investigators while trying to determine its relationship to hauntings.

There is another possibility when it comes to certain types of hauntings and their relationship to geology. Crystals of various types are being studied as storage devices. As long ago as 1995, researchers at the University of Oregon were using crystals and simple CD-ROM lasers to get a storage density of 8GBit/in2. Those crystals had to be at super-low temperatures, but (as has been shown) crystals can be electrically charged at high temperatures and pressures. If one accepts that human activity involves energy, it is possible then to make the leap that certain high-emotion activities could then be recorded in mineral deposits high in crystal content, particularly under strain, and then re-play those events when the conditions were right – causing what’s often called a “residual” haunt. This is the type of haunt where the same or similar activity happens over and over, without any apparent interaction with either the current environment or its inhabitants. This is, however, purely theoretical. There has yet to be any direct evidence of this actually occurring either in nature or in laboratory conditions.

Other possibilities must be looked at as well when it comes to geology and its effects on paranormal experiences. For a while now, studies have been done on magnetic fields and their effect on the human brain. It’s known that certain EMFs, at high energy, can affect the brain in certain ways. These include everything from nausea to claustrophobia to paranoia, even outright hallucinations.  It’s so well documented that it’s now taken as rote that these EMFs are the cause of some haunting reports. However, the field evidence for this type and strength of EMF outside of the laboratory is incomplete, and further documentation of the effect (as well as the involvement of the scientific community) is needed.

A second possible effect of geology on the human mind is infrasound.  Infrasound occurs well below the level detectable by human hearing, and actually shares frequencies with the EMFs that can cause similar brain effects.  It’s thought that rock under strain can produce infrasound. Portable, affordable equipment to detect these types of phenomena are not widely available, making field testing for them in tectonically active areas difficult.

One more effect that geology can have is in the form of radon gas release. Above and beyond the obvious health effects of radon gas, there’s a theory that radon, which breaks down in to radon progeny, which are statically charged, attach themselves to dust particles, etc. (which are then inhaled and can potentially cause illness, the biggest reason for eliminating radon from your home) and then create an electromagnetic field in and of themselves. But again, that would have to be in the exact right frequencies and at high enough energy to cause hallucinations, something that has not been observed yet in the field by investigators.

In conclusion, a more conscious awareness of the effects of geology and continued investigation, coupled with involvement of the scientific community to whatever extent they are willing to participate, can assist in preparing investigators for a complete and effective investigation of claims in a particular location. Careful recording of these effects, when combined with as much other evidence gathered as possible, will further the ultimate goal of learning as much as we can about this phenomenon and helping our clients to find the answers they’re seeking.