If you hear any strange booms in the middle of the night, you’re not imagining things, but it may not be thunder, gunshots, or even anything seismic. It may actually just be a frost quake.
Why Indiana Is Hearing Booms This Week
Indiana Weather Online reports that the winter weather phenomena were heard across parts of Northern Indiana recently, and conditions are lining up for more tonight and later this week as temperatures fall quickly into the single digits and low teens.
What Causes a Frost Quake
So… what the heck even is a frost quake?
Frost quakes, also known as cryoseism, happen when water trapped in the soil freezes rapidly. That water expands as it turns to ice, building pressure underneath the surface, and the ground can suddenly crack or pop.
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When Frost Quakes Are Most Likely to Happen
That rapid cracking can create a loud boom that sometimes is so forceful that it rattles windows or even briefly shakes the ground like an earthquake.
During extreme cold events, you may hear a loud boom and feel like you have experienced an earthquake. However, this event was more likely a cryoseism, also known as an ice quake or a frost quake, and they’re nothing new. In fact, they were observed in the United States as early as 1818. – Accuweather
Are Frost Quakes Dangerous
While the sound can be startling, frost quakes aren’t actually dangerous, and they aren’t earthquakes. They don’t cause structural damage and are not tied to any type of seismic activity. They are purely a cold-weather reaction happening just beneath the surface of frozen soil…