Sea Serpents And This Earthquake Myth, The Analysis

Just this month, two giant serpent-like creatures were found in the coastal area of California beaches and one of which is in a length of 18-foot found at Toyon Bay, Catalina Island and the other creature was in 4.3 m or 14-foot which was found by a man in the city of Oceanside. A Marine Science Teacher, Jasmine Santana was snorkeling off the Catalina Island coast and saw a giant snake-like creature which later found out to be the legendary 18-Foot Oarfish. "I have to drag this thing out of here or nobody will believe me" Santana said.

18-Foot Dead Oarfish found by Jasmine Santana in the coast of Toyon Bay, Catalina Island. Photo Source: AP

Aside from the excitement that Scientists are feeling right now of seeing a real Oarfish (which is definitely rare to happen), people associated this sudden appearance of Oarfishes as a sign of an impending earthquake which follows the ancient Japanese myth (Catfish causes Earthquake). Note that the latest sighting of Oarfish in California was days before the October 15 7.2 Earthquake in the Visayas region of Philippines which affected Bohol and Cebu.

Japanese Myth on Earthquake [Wikipedia]

In Japanese mythology, the Namazu or Ōnamazu is a giant catfish who causes earthquakes. He lives in the mud under the islands of Japan, and is guarded by the God Kashima who restrains the catfish with a stone. When Kashima lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes

"In ancient times Japanese people believed that fish warned of coming earthquakes, particularly catfish," Hiroshi Tajihi, deputy director of the Kobe Earthquake Centre, told the Daily Telegraph.


Oarfish Sightings and Earthquake In the Past

On 2010, UK's Telegraph reported that about 10 Oarfishes were washed up in the coast of Japan of March of that year. A month before these appearances of large serpent-like creatures, Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 Magnitude earthquake shook Haiti with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne (Ouest Department), approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince.

Chile Earthquake in Year 2010. Photo: wikipedia

But March of the same year, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted southern Taiwan on a Thursday morning ( 8:20 a.m. (7:20 p.m. Wednesday ET) )

On March 11 2011 2:46pm (local time), a magnitude of 8.9 hit Japan's north-east coast, about 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles. [Geography Fact]. And it was believed that the same species were washed up in Japan's shore months before the biggest earthquake Japan has experienced.

Japan Earthquake - AFP PHOTO / FUKUSHIMA MINPO via JIJI PRESS Source: AFP

What Scientists say about this Myth?

Take note that the latest Oarfishes which are found in the California shores have no signs of injury or diseases which made Scientists speculate that they diead of a natural underwater disturbance. In The Independent UK's report, there could be a scientific explanation on the appearances of Oarfishes days/weeks before an earthquake happened.

“It’s theoretically possible because when an earthquake occurs there can be a build-up of pressure in the rocks which can lead to electrostatic charges that cause electrically-charged ions to be released into the water,” Dr Grant said in the report.

“This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is a toxic compound. The charged ions can also oxidise organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the deep ocean and rise to the surface,” she added.

“The geophysical processes behind these kinds of sighting can happen before an earthquake. I will be watching California closely over the next couple of weeks,” she added.

Rachel Grant is a lecturer in animal biology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

About Oarfish: [Wikipedia]

United States servicemen holding a 23-foot (7.0 m) Giant Oarfish, found washed up on the shore near San Diego, California in September 1996. Credit: wikipedia

Oarfishes are large, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish and belong to the small family Regalecidae.Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains four species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne), is the longest bony fish alive, at up to 17 metres (56 ft) in length.

Oarfish can grow to more than 50 feet, is a deep-water pelagic fish — the longest bony fish in the world. And they are known as the "Messenger from the Sea God's Palace" to some in Japan.

So, after these serpent-like creatures appearances in California, what now? Everybody must always be ready either it's a science supported incident or a Japanese Myth.

Posted in: Analysis,Chile Earthquake,Earthquake Myth,Japan Earthquake,Japanese Myth,Oarfish,Philippines Earthquake