Summerville Lights: A Scientific Ghost Story (Encore)

Wow in the World

The Wow in the World crew embarks on a South Carolina camping trip that quickly turns into a spooky adventure when mysterious glowing orbs appear in the night sky.

Key takeaways

• Mindy Thomas explains that earthquake lights occur far from tectonic plate edges in areas rich in magnesium and iron minerals.
• Tiny ground movements bend these minerals, creating electrical charges that travel upward and excite air molecules to glow.

Main topics

• Earthquake lights
• Geological phenomena

Notable quotes

"Nope. It's something even more spectacular than a ghost, Guy Raz. It's science."

Conclusion

Listeners gain a clear understanding of how subtle geological activity

Transcript preview

Speaker 6 (0:00) Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here. And before we start the show, are you a kid who wows? Of course you are. Well, listen up because I am searching for the perfect wow kid to join me as a guest on an upcoming episode of two What's in a Wow People Who Wow edition. Together, we'll play three rounds of my getting to know you game show. And along the way, we'll get to know all about you, your hidden talents, your hobbies, your funniest stories. Plus, the winner will also receive a prize pack of Wow in the World toys and books. Want a chance to be on the show? Ask your grown-ups to enter our Kids Who Wow contest. Grown-ups record a short video of your wowzer sharing three true wow facts about their life. Then ask them to tell you the story behind one of those facts. Enter for a chance to win when you send us your video at Tinkercast.com slash contest. Grownups, you can learn more about the rules for this contest and upload your submission before October 1st at Tinkercast.com slash contest. That's Tinkercast.com slash contest. And now for a quick ad break and then back to the show. Speaker 5 (1:17) This is a production of the Center for Autism and Speaker 2 (1:19) Related Speaker 5 (1:19) Disorders. Speaker 4 (1:20) for Porsche. Speaker 4 (1:45) Nothing quite like a good old-fashioned camping trip. The crisp South Carolina air, the smell of a campfire, the peace and quiet of nature. Speaker 4 (1:59) Ahhhh Speaker 5 (2:02) Stop poking me with that stick. I ain't poking you with nothing, boy. Oh, Speaker 3 (2:08) I'm Speaker 4 (2:09) wrong! Speaker 4 (2:10) Well, that Speaker 3 (2:11) was me that time. Guy Speaker 4 (2:12) Raz, G-Force, and Tommy are poking me with their marshmallow sticks. Did Speaker 6 (2:17) someone say marshmallows? No. Mindy, you made it back. Yeah, sorry. I had to go to like three different gas stations just to find these marshmallows. But check it out. Key lime pie flavored marshmallows. Super rare, super tasty. Oh! Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, Speaker 4 (2:34) gimme. Sounds delicious, Speaker 3 (2:35) Mindy. Pass. Yeah, pass. We got our own snacks. Why in the... All right, G-Force, what do you want? Speaker 5 (2:44) Well, I'll take a boot. Speaker 3 (2:46) Leather boot. Huh? All right, good choice. Speaker 5 (2:49) You're going Speaker 6 (2:50) to eat a boot? Yeah. Speaker 3 (2:53) Oh, calm down. We're gonna cook the boot first. Here we go. Tommy! Speaker 5 (2:59) No! Speaker 3 (2:59) Okay, G-Force, do you want the midsole or the laces? Speaker 5 (3:03) Well, I think I'm gonna fix me a part of that heel. Speaker 3 (3:07) Okay, there you go. All right, Speaker 6 (3:10) well, who's up for some scary stories? Let's do it. Who's Speaker 3 (3:15) gonna tell a scary story first? Me. I got one. Speaker 5 (3:18) Fingerling, you couldn't scare a squirrel off a bird feeder. Speaker 3 (3:23) Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that. I'm Speaker 5 (3:27) scared. Speaker 3 (3:28) Once upon a time, the family was going on vacation to a beautiful secluded cabin in the woods. Speaker 4 (3:38) We're going on vacation. We're going on vacation. Speaker 3 (3:41) To Speaker 4 (3:42) a beautiful secluded cabin in the woods. Speaker 3 (3:46) But when they arrived at the cabin... Well, Speaker 4 (3:49) family, we've arrived at the cabin. They Speaker 3 (3:53) realized... Let's just open the door here and walk inside. Something was wrong. Speaker 6 (3:59) This Speaker 3 (4:00) is all wrong? Something horrifyingly wrong. Oh, no! Speaker 5 (4:05) What was it? It Speaker 3 (4:06) turns out the beautiful secluded cabin in the woods... Had Speaker 4 (4:12) no Wi-Fi! That's it? The cabin didn't have Wi-Fi? What Speaker 3 (4:21) do you mean that's it? Speaker 1 (4:22) The cabin Speaker 3 (4:23) probably only had a wired Ethernet connection. Exactly. No! Speaker 6 (4:28) It's terrifying! Terrifyingly inconvenient, maybe. Fingerling, that ain't scary. Speaker 5 (4:35) This is scary. Speaker 5 (4:40) Once upon a time, two best friends went out to watch a movie at their local movie theater. I love Speaker 4 (4:50) watching movies at our local movie theater. Speaker 5 (4:53) Whoa, me too, best friend. And as they left the theater, both of them said goodbye to each other. Bye, best friend. See you later, best friend. But then, out of the nowheres, they both... Walked in the same direction for a Speaker 6 (5:12) little bit. Go in the same direction, huh? I Speaker 5 (5:15) guess so. And it was super awkward. Speaker 4 (5:22) Awkward. Awkward. Speaker 1 (5:23) Awkward. Oh no! Speaker 1 (5:26) Eye contact, probably. I Speaker 4 (5:28) don't know here, guys. These don't seem that scary to me. Speaker 6 (5:32) Yeah, me neither, Guy Raz. But fear not. I've got a real good spooky story for everyone. Sit back and watch how a pro tells a spooky story. Speaker 5 (5:47) A long Speaker 6 (5:47) time ago, not too far from here in South Carolina, in a town called Somerville, a wife was sending her husband off to work on the railroads. Speaker 3 (6:00) Well, I'm off to work the railroads, dear. See you in a couple of weeks. Speaker 6 (6:06) Wait, Speaker