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Minneapolis, MN – As arctic air sweeps across the state, residents from Minneapolis to Duluth could soon hear sharp booms echoing through frigid winter nights. According to the Minnesota Geological Survey, those startling sounds are likely frost quakes — sudden cracking events caused by the rapid freezing of water-saturated ground.
Known scientifically as cryoseisms, frost quakes occur when rain or melting snow seeps into the soil and freezes too quickly. As the trapped moisture expands into ice, it builds immense pressure until the frozen ground suddenly splits, releasing energy with a thunder-like crack…