Strange seismic waves that shook the world on November 11 baffle researchers

Mysterious seismic waves in the Indian Ocean that were picked up by monitoring stations from Madagascar to Canada three weeks ago have baffled scientists.

Researchers and earthquake enthusiasts who spotted the signals have narrowed down the origin to a region just off the coast of the island Mayotte. 

The slow waves detected on November 11 rumbled for more than 20 minutes, unbeknownst to most people.   

They are similar to those typically seen after large earthquakes, which are known to travel great distances – but, no such earthquake took place.

Theories as to what caused the cryptic rumble include an undetected meteor strike or underwater volcanic eruption. 

'I don't think I've seen anything like it,' Göran Ekström, a seismologist at Columbia University who specialises in unusual earthquakes, told National Geographic.

But, he adds, 'It doesn't mean that, in the end, the cause of them is that exotic.'

The monotone 'ring' was picked up by seismographs almost 11,000 miles (18,000 km) from Mayotte, and were spotted by chance.

A New Zealand based Earthquake enthusiast who goes by the handle @matarikipax noticed unusual seismology readings from the US Geological Survey.

The agency publishes all of its recordings for free online, allowing anyone across the globe to trawl through its data.

'This is a most odd and unusual seismic signal. Recorded at Kilima Mbogo, Kenya,' @matarikipax wrote on Twitter on November 11.





MailOnline