Massachusetts isn’t really earthquake territory, but it does have to contend with one truly strange wintertime phenomenon – frost quakes. Here’s why you may have already experienced this odd event.
What’s a frost quake? If you’ve ever bolted upright in bed on a cold winter night after hearing a loud bang or feeling a slight tremor, frost quakes could be the culprit.
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Officially known as cryoseism, this seismic event occurs when water in the ground, stone or wood suddenly freezes and cracks. Since water expands as it freezes, this can cause fissures to appear in roads, frozen earth or even roofs or wooden beams.
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Frost quakes were reported in Framingham in March of 2015. More than 1,000 residents called into local news stations and posted on Facebook alerting others to the bizarre phenomenon.
Flickr/Paul Sihvonen-Binder
One resident said that the sound was like someone dropped a wrecking ball on her roof. Other reported a sound like gunfire or distant fireworks.
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Recent bone-chillingly cold temperatures have created the perfect conditions for this little-known natural effect.
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Frost quakes have been reported across Massachusetts this season, with police departments receiving phone calls from panicked locals who assume they’ve heard a bursting gas line or gunfire.
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While these quakes are far less dangerous than earthquakes, they can still wreak havoc with roofs and foundations if the melt-freeze cycle continues for long enough.
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You’re more likely to hear the sound of frost quakes late at night or in the early morning, when the ambient noise of daytime has subsided.
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Have you ever heard or felt a frost quake? Let us know in the comments. For more Massachusetts scary weather, read about the devestating winter that plunged Massachusetts into an arctic freeze.
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