Rapid Temperature Plunge Triggers Rare Seismic Phenomenon Across Central States
Residents across the Midwest reported loud booming noises late this week as Winter Storm Fern gripped the region, the startling sounds are actually a rare weather event known as a cryoseism or icequake caused by plummeting temperatures.
Extreme Cold Snaps Create Conditions for Rare Geological Events
The event happens when ground soaked with water faces a rapid temperature drop to below zero degrees, this causes groundwater to freeze and expand quickly which puts immense pressure on surrounding soil. The earth eventually cracks to release this stress creating a loud noise that resembles an explosion or a falling tree, these events differ from traditional earthquakes because they happen near the surface rather than deep underground. Historical records show similar activity occurred during the 1948 Lake Mendota event and the 2019 Polar Vortex, geologists track these occurrences to understand how weather patterns impact soil stability.
Reports of Loud Booms Surge During Winter Storm Fern
Emergency dispatchers in cities like Chicago and St. Louis received hundreds of calls reporting what sounded like gunshots or structural collapses, these reports coincided with a drastic temperature plunge where the mercury dropped from near freezing to twenty below zero in less than 24 hours. Experts confirmed the noises were cryoseisms resulting from the flash freeze, the expansion of ice by roughly nine percent fractures the frozen ground with enough force to cause vibrations. Officials noted that standard seismographs often miss these events because they lack the deep energy release of tectonic shifting, police departments spent significant time reassuring panicked citizens that no criminal activity or building failures were occurring.
The sheer volume of calls overwhelmed some local switchboards as the cold snap intensified, meteorologists helped clarify the situation to prevent further public panic. Scientists utilize data from these occurrences to map how freezing ground affects urban infrastructure, the booms are loudest when the temperature change is most severe.
Residents Face Anxiety Amidst Confusion Over Strange Noises
The primary effect of these frost quakes is public alarm rather than physical danger, most structural damage is limited to minor hairline cracks in driveways or soil fissures. Homeowners often mistake the sounds for someone breaking in or a furnace explosion, insurance policies occupy a complex gray area regarding these events since they are technically meteorological rather than earth movements.
Experts predict these events may become more frequent as climate volatility increases the likelihood of sudden polar vortex disruptions, officials urge residents to remain calm if they hear loud cracking sounds during deep freezes.
