Abstract
A critical test of the observation that most well documented episodes (“flaps”) of UFO reports (UFORs) display a temporal relationship to the nearest release of seismic energy was completed for the Carman episode. These reports occurred over a 3-yr. period (1974-1977) near Winnipeg, Manitoba; yet, this province has no recorded seismicity. Visual inspection of the numbers of UFORs per month during this period indicated they were strongly correlated with the amount of seismic energy released within 1000 km. The Carman episode occurred during the time of the closest and strongest recorded earthquake in the recent history (since 1950) of the area. Characteristics of the local geology and crustal morphology were considered as factors that might influence the furthest distance at which seismicity is associated with UFORs. The results were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that most well documented episodes of UFORs refer to actual geophysical phenomena that are generated by tectonic strain.
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