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Wichita, KS – As winter tightens its grip, residents from Wichita to Topeka could soon hear mysterious, thunder-like booms echoing through the night. According to the Kansas Geological Survey, those startling sounds are likely frost quakes — sudden cracking events that happen when frozen ground splits under pressure.
Known scientifically as cryoseisms, frost quakes occur when water from rain or melting snow seeps into the soil and freezes too quickly. As that moisture expands into ice, it creates powerful underground stress until the frozen ground suddenly fractures, releasing energy in a loud, explosive burst…