that began to lend themselves to our growing body...
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that began to lend themselves to our growing body of knowledge. For instance, geologist John Connor, who joined the team on camping trips in years past, had already pointed out the huge quantities quartz, granite, and magnetite present throughout the Linville Gorge, particularly around Brown Mountain. Also, geological data illustrated for us that Brown Mountain is almost completely encircled by thrust faults. With the accumulation of data we were processing, it slowly became evident that we were witnesses to an odd story, an earthy exchange of the elements the likes of which had never been seen before, revealing itself as we combed over the mysteries the old mountain had been hiding for centuries. THE LABORATORY "Considering all the available data, it seems the most likely explanation for the lights would be a form of plasma," Joshua supposed. The fourth state of matter, plasma is the product of so much energy being added to a gas (including air) that one or more electrons are ripped from each atom producing a swirling, luminous mass of free-floating electrons and atoms that have a positive charge (positive ions). But could this account for phenomenon produced naturally by the mountain? Apparently, this notion is quite feasible. Plasmas are enhanced by having a fuel source in the air, such as the carbon, which at Brown Mountain might be produced from an event like a forest fire. This in mind, the Brown Mountain Lights may have appeared more often in the past when wood fires were more commonly used in the region. Also, when taking into consideration geological observations made in the area, the abundance of quartz presents a particularly unique circumstance. Quartz, having piezoelectric properties (meaning that quartz crystals develop an electric potential as mechanical stress is applied to them), might also be a source for "sparks" of energy capable of aiding in the manifestation of plasmas. Even if piezoelectric effects weren't a factor in the appearance of the lights, by virtue of its dielectric (non-conductive) properties, quartz paired with conductors like magnetite sandwiched in layers of strata beneath the mountain's surface might be able to store electrical energy to a critical point until a powerful discharge occurs. In essence, this means that the mountain, due to its composition, may act like a giant, natural capacitor. Discharges from the natural capacitance presumably provide the most outstanding electrical activity, but strong winds (known as zephyr winds) that blow through the valley building high electrostatic charges may also contribute. As these electrical discharges occur, the quartz resonances create complex, overlapping harmonic frequencies, or nodes, similar to those important to tuning Tesla Coils. When numerous Brown Mountain Photographs ｩ Bill Fox 2009 JAS 93
Transcript of that began to lend themselves to our growing body...
that began to lend themselves to our growing body of knowledge. For instance, geologist John Connor, who joined the team on camping trips in years past, had already pointed out the huge quantities quartz, granite, and magnetite present throughout the Linville Gorge, particularly around Brown Mountain. Also, geological data illustrated for us that Brown Mountain is almost completely encircled by thrust faults. With the accumulation of data we were processing, it slowly became evident that we were witnesses to an odd story, an earthy exchange of the elements the likes of which had never been seen before, revealing itself as we combed over the mysteries the old mountain had been hiding for centuries. THE LABORATORY "Considering all the available data, it seems the most likely explanation for the lights would be a form of plasma," Joshua supposed. The fourth state of matter, plasma is the product of so much energy being added to a gas (including air) that one or more electrons are ripped from each atom producing a swirling, luminous mass of free-floating electrons and atoms that have a positive charge (positive ions). But could this account for phenomenon produced naturally by the mountain? Apparently, this notion is quite feasible. Plasmas are enhanced by having a fuel source in the air, such as the carbon, which at Brown Mountain might be produced from an event like a forest fire. This in mind, the Brown Mountain Lights may have appeared more often in the past when wood fires were more commonly used in the region. Also, when taking into consideration geological observations made in the area, the abundance of quartz presents a particularly unique circumstance. Quartz, having piezoelectric properties (meaning that quartz crystals develop an electric potential as mechanical stress is applied to them), might also be a source for "sparks" of energy capable of aiding in the manifestation of plasmas. Even if piezoelectric effects weren't a factor in the appearance of the lights, by virtue of its dielectric (non-conductive) properties, quartz paired with conductors like magnetite sandwiched in layers of strata beneath the mountain's surface might be able to store electrical energy to a critical point until a powerful discharge occurs. In essence, this means that the mountain, due to its composition, may act like a giant, natural capacitor. Discharges from the natural capacitance presumably provide the most outstanding electrical activity, but strong winds (known as zephyr winds) that blow through the valley building high electrostatic charges may also contribute. As these electrical discharges occur, the quartz resonances create complex, overlapping harmonic frequencies, or nodes, similar to those important to tuning Tesla Coils. When numerous
Brown Mountain Photographs © Bill Fox 2009
JAS 93
