Published:
4 Oct 2024 05:04 GMT
These phenomena are often described as an explosive boom that rumbles in the distance, sometimes powerful enough to vibrate windows and buildings.
Eyewitnesses around the world have recorded a mysterious phenomenon in which loud booms come from the sky with no clear source of noise. Despite extensive research, the exact cause remains unknown, but scientists have confirmed which is a real atmospheric phenomenon known as a ‘skyquake’, or skyquake.
‘Skyquakes’ are often described as an explosive boom that rumbles in the distance, sometimes powerful enough to vibrate windows and buildings. Among the places where these phenomena have been detected are the Ganges River (India), the east coast of the USA and its Finger Lakes, Japan, the Bay of Fundy (Canada) and parts of Australia, Belgium, Scotland, Italy and Ireland.
The American writer James Fenimore Cooper described the phenomenon in 1850 in his story ‘The Lake Gun’ as “a sound resembling the explosion of a heavy piece of artillery, which cannot be explained by any of the known laws of nature”, as well as a “deep, hollow, distant and imposing” sound.
Theories and refutations
These enigmatic events have been recorded throughout history, perplexing both scientists and the general public. However, several theories have been proposed, such as distant storms or earthquakes, quarry explosions or even secret military exercises, but there is no satisfactory theory that explains all the noises recorded.
An alternative explanation is gas leakage from lake sediments, since several sites of seismic activity are located near large deep lakes. However, earthquakes have also been recorded far from these bodies of water.
In 2020, researchers at the University of North Carolina found no seismic activity coinciding with these phenomena and determined that the sounds came from the atmosphere. Although some believe it is just thunder or sonic booms from military aircraft, this cannot explain historical reports of ‘skyquakes’ and the absence of the characteristic flash of lightning.
Some scientists have suggested that the cause could be a type of meteorite, called a bolide, which explodes when it hits the Earth’s atmosphere. If this occurred above dense clouds, the sound could be amplified over a wide area, but no physical evidence would reach the Earth’s surface. Other possibilities could be events originating in the ocean, such as the crash of very large waves or thunder far from the coast.
Given the wide variety of locations and explanations, it is possible that earthquakes in different parts of the world have different causes. However, for now, its true cause or causes remain a mystery.
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