By Sid Perkins
Sightings of the Loch Ness Monster have variously been attributed to ancient marine reptiles that somehow survived extinction, uncommonly large sturgeon, and too much Scotch whiskey. Now, an Italian scientist contends that the original source of the monster’s legend, as well as the basis for many of the modern encounters with the supposed beast, may be seismic activity.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/07/426.jpg?resize=150%2C98&ssl=1)
At about 25 miles in length, up to 1 mile in width, and about 800 feet in depth, Loch Ness is one of the largest and deepest lakes in Scotland. It lies atop the Great Glen fault, which generates three or four moderate earthquakes each century, says Luigi Piccardi, a structural geologist at the Center for the Study of the Geology of the Apennines in Florence.