THE MIN MIN LIGHT REVEALED NATURE UNBOUND

For more than a century, an extraordinary phenomenon steeped in folklore and genuine mystery has haunted a remote area centred near the town of Boulia, in South West Queensland.

Elsewhere around the world, possibly similar phenomena go by various evocative names, such as "jack-o'-lantern", "ignis fatuus" (foolish fire), "fairy lights", "will-o' the-wisp", and "ghost lights". Many are called by their locational identities, such as the "Waimea lights" (Hawaii), the "Marfa ghost light" (Texas, USA) and the Brown Mountain Lights (North Carolina, USA).

In Australia there have been many such reports through the years, dispersed widely around the country. However, the most enduring, and best known manifestation of the Australian "ghost light" genre is the famous Min Min Light.

Hundreds of people over the years have told of seeing the Min Min Light in the Boulia district. The light got its name from the old Min Min "pub" and mail-change, which used to stand on the boundary of two big stations -Warenda and Lucknow. Only a stack of bottles, a dust heap, and the remnants of a cemetery, reminds us of what was. The locality is approximately 100 kilometres east of Boulia, just off the Boulia-Winton road.

Explanations for the Min Min Light and other similar "ghost lights" are as numerous and varied as the sightings themselves. In a survey completed in 1981, Australian researcher, Mark Moravec, concluded that "ghost lights" may be:

(1) "Misidentifications of natural phenomena such as wind-blown mists; phospheresence in marshes; spontaneous neuronal discharges in the visual field; clusters of luminescent insects; light refraction effects; ball lightning or other electric discharge.

(2) An unknown natural phenomenon involving low-level air oscillations; or ionisation in geophysically-generated electrical fields (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) or "earth lights" -B.C.).

(3) Psychokinetic or poltergeist effects unconsciously produced by an individual.

(4) Non-physical apparitions/ghosts.

(5) Small, physical UFOs ("remote-control probes")."

As far as the Min Min Light is concerned, these possible explanations vary from not unreasonable to exotic suggestions, to the quite untenable. It seems clear even from this limited survey of "ghost light" phenomena that not all such reports can be relegated to over active imaginations.

More Australian Historican stories about Min Min Lights (Ghost Lights).
http://www.theozfiles.com/min_min_lights...

Other related links

Stories of anomalous nocturnal lights come from virtually every country in the world. Australia is no different. Here, the aboriginal word for these lights is "Min Min". It is not known for sure which dialect/tribe is responsible for the term.
http://www.castleofspirits.com/minmins.h...

Strange Illuminations: Min Min Lights Australian Ghost Light Stories
The Min Min Light is a small, close to groundlevel, ball of light said to haunt particular localities in Australia. Early white settlers knew it as the willothe wisp and the jackolantern. Indigenous inhabitants called it the Dead Mens CampFire or the DebilDebil. Min Min Light narratives are examined with regard to motifs and narrative forms; the interpretations and beliefs engendered by the accounts; and the social context of a regional lore now utilised in tourism promotion.
PDF (254.6 KB) - need a abode reader
http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs/...

Strange responses by animals have been recorded, which could be high frequency sound, inaudible to humans, and could be produced by anomalous magnetic fields. These fields can also directly affect the hippocampus and amygdaloidal complex of the brain, and the temporolimbic system (the most electrically sensitive structures in the brain) and evoke affective responses in animals, and humans as well (Persinger, 1985,1988,1989). Movement of objects such as doors, windows, rocking chairs, suspended lamps, and pictures on the walls of sites have been known to occur.

Depression and aggression : Depression, heightened aggression, fear, sadness, and other unexplained sudden onset of emotions have been reported in both humans and animals by exposure to complex magnetic fields (DeLorge & Grissett, 1977; Persinger, 1974b). This has been known to occur at certain frequencies (Tandy & Lawrence, 1998).
Strange responses: By pets or animals at a site . This would include an animal not going into a certain room, or showing fear, aggression, or another unusual response
http://mesaproject.com/index.php/article...

Will-o'-the-wisp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o'-the...
Strange & Unexplained - Ghost Lights
http://www.skygaze.com/content/strange/G...

Spook Lights
http://mysterious-places.suite101.com/ar...

This was an interesting subject...Thanks for asking..:-)