The Chicago area has seen a dramatic shift in temperatures this weekend, but could the sudden cold snap cause a rare phenomenon to take place?
That phenomenon, known as a “frost quake” and scientifically as a cryoseism, occurs when the ground rapidly freezes, causing ice to form and expand quickly and shifting the soil in a rapid manner.
That soil expansion, according to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, can produce ground-shaking and noises similar to an earthquake.
Thankfully, such “frost quakes” are very localized, with vibrations only traveling a few hundred feet at most, but they can still cause loud noise and can even cause objects to shake indoors. They can also occur on multiple occasions, and with temperatures expected to remain frigid for several days, the possibility could linger in the Chicago area.
The rapid drop in temperature in the Chicago area could be sufficient to cause such a frost quake. In some locations, the temperature was above freezing into Saturday morning, but by Sunday morning the mercury had dropped to 5-to-10 degrees below zero.
According to Maine officials, frost quakes are reported in most winters across New England. In the Midwest, some Wisconsin residents reported the phenomenon during a cold snap in 2020.
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