The recent earthquake which hit the Sichuan province of China on the 12th May is thought to have killed at least 40,000 people, and is a terrible natural disaster.

This video shows a strange phenomena which occurred and was captured on a mobile phone 30 minutes before the earthquake struck.

There’s been speculation that this is paranormal or alien in origin but it’s actually a known field of science, and is called quite accurately, Earthquake Light.

While it’s not known exactly what causes the light, one theory suggests it is the release of plasma from within the Earth as the tectonic stress builds.

It’s a shame more is not know about the phenomena as if we understood it, we could maybe use it to predict future earthquakes and potentially save thousands of lives.