Joplin Spook Lights

For over 200 years people have seen strange lights west of Joplin, Missouri, near the border with Oklahoma and Kansas. The light was commonly called the Hornet Spook Light back when there was only one light because the closest town is Hornet, Missouri. The lights are also near Quapaw, Oklahoma.

The lights were seen well before cars, highways or even electric lights. Legend has it that it was seen as far back as 1836 but the first published record seems to be 1881 in a publication called the Ozark Spook Light. While there have been some attempts at scientific study, a definitive explanation has proven to be elusive.

We stopped in Missouri to check out the lights in the summer of 2003 and were treated to an extensive show. The lights first started to appear around dusk and continued to show themselves at a distance for over an hour. Click on the images below to view larger photos. If the images don't load disable any 'pop-up blockers' you might have installed.

The lights appeared in different colors and sometimes in multiple colors simultaneously. The lights we saw were mostly in or near tree tops but they have been seen near the ground frequently by others. The brightness of the lights can vary and some of them appeared to split into two.

Present with us was Dr. Robert Gibbons, former scientist with NASA, and current Executive Director of the Museum of the Unexplained. Dr. Gibbons has worked for the Atomic Energy Commission, NASA, Hughes Aircraft Co, Lear-Siegler, Inc, and Northrop-Grumman Co. Dr. Gibbons' Joplin Spooklight research has lead to lectures and guest appearances around the country for the past forty years. His exclusive motion picture footage of the Spooklight appeared on the NBC television show "Real People" in 1982 and his still photographs of the elusive lights have been published in books and magazines throughout the world. Dr. Gibbons has researched unexplained phenomena for over fifty years, and has presented lectures on the Bermuda Triangle, Ancient Technologies, and other unsolved mysteries to schools and civic groups throughout the years.

Also present was Dr. Gilbert Jordan (CEM, MEA, PE) and his wife. Dr. Jordan is an engineer, nuclear physicist and was nominated as a candidate for the Physics Nobel Prize in 1999 by members from the AIP and is listed in "Marquis Who’s Who in Science and Engineering” (3rd edition). Dr. Jordan was a scientist and engineer at Edwards AFB, and for DOE/DOD Contractors in California, Utah, Colorado, Nevada (Nevada Test Site & Area 51), and Minnesota; and had many high level security clearances. He has visited many Department of Defense facilities, including Groom Lake, NWC, Dugway, etc. In the past he has had discussions with Dr. E. U. Condon pertaining to the “Condon Report.”

In the late 1950's a credible eyewitness was parked along a road frequented by a spook light and the light approached his car and started bouncing on the hood. When the witness exited the car to try and catch the light it simply blinked out and reappeared some distance away. Some people claim to have had the light appear inside their car. In one case it was reported that the light had burned a car seat.

These types of lights have been seen around the world and are called by Earth Lights by some researchers.

While not all lights interact with people, some seem to do so. The interactions with people demonstrates intelligence. Intelligence indicates some type of consciousness. Light demonstrates energy. Are they some type of energy-being?

The fact that they limit their interaction with people may indicate that they can be harmed by physical contact with humans or could harm humans. Perhaps they merely want their nature to remain unknown. If they are not conscious then the human energy field may simply push them away or cause them to disintegrate.

The Joplin Earth Lights tend to be seen in the same general area. This indicates that they may require specific physical conditions to exist. People have seen the lights in all types of weather in all months of the year, so weather is not an issue. A study of the atmosphere, geology and geomagnetic fields would be helpful. Although, there is nothing obviously unique about the area and the lights are moving further away as roads are expanded into their area.

Another issue to consider would be past events. Was there a battle in the area with a large number of deaths? Could they be ghosts?

Upon the request of a well known Earthlights Researcher, we did a remote viewing session on an Earthlight in the Sedona, Arizona area.

Remote viewing is a scientific approach to intuitive information gathering. While it can be highly accurate, its accuracy is subject to the clarity and focus of the person doing the remote viewing and the purity of the data source. Sometimes the data from remote viewing can be mistranslated, so it should never be taken strictly as fact.

While our viewing of the one light does not mean that all Earth Lights share the same characteristics, remote viewing may provide some clues as to the characteristics of similar phenomenon.

Dr. Gilbert Jordan has studied the Joplin lights further and has observed that the underlying geology may be conducive to geological phosphorescence - a natural light phenomenon observed in similar locations.

Not too far to the southwest of the lights is the Picher lead and zinc mines. The area is still rich in minerals and contains galena and quartz and is also the location of a fault line. Many types of rocks emit electrons and electromagnetic fields when under pressure. Just before an earthquake some mountain tops have been seen to glow.

Another light phenomenon occurs when electrically conductive soil meets non-conductive soil in what is called a discontinuity zone. In such locations the electrons flowing through the ground can leave the ground and create light phenomenon during favorable atmospheric conditions. Many ancient megalithic sites are built on top of such discontinuity zones and produce a wide range of unusual phenomenon.

It should be noted that the Joplin Spook Light is seen in all types of weather conditions and does not seem to be related to atmospheric conditions.

For more general information on Earthlights and possible explanations visit - www.earthlights.org