Known technically as cryoseism, frost quakes are a rare natural phenomena that occur when the temperature drops suddenly, causing moisture in the ground to freeze and expand. They can cause an earthquake-like rumble sometimes with loud, booming noises.
From a news item about cold weather in the U.S. I've never heard of either the word or the phenomenon.
Hmm--cryo I get, but --se-- ?
-seism, from the Greek to shake, as in seismograph.
You might have heard them if you've ever been around a seriously frozen lake.
if 'lake quakes' (my term) are the selfsame phenomena, we got Minnesota, land of 10,000 seriously frozen lakes: not rare at all to hear expansion and contraction of the deeply frozen surface ice.
my reading is that Cryoseisms are soil and rock phenomena.
We don't get many seriously frozen anythings down here in Kentucky. Occasionally a pond or low creek will have surface ice.
Thanks for the info., though.
Edit: -seism, from the Greek to shake, as in seismograph. Wait--now I get it. Peter, I read this without seeing it until the screen went back. I never thought of cryoseism(ograph). Cool!
Yep, cryoseism: Pretty cool, when it all shakes out.
No, Peter, I think it's Alaska's cold.
Actually, it's been warmer here than in most of the country, with grass starting to grow. Blizzard yesterday, 45-mph wind and whiteout; unimpeded sunlight and zephyrs today, right at freezing.
You've been warmer most of the winter as compared
to the Great Lakes area and North East. Luck you.
Most of us have wanted our winter back. This weekend is Winter Carnival, and it's been perfect, first time in years it hasn't been raining.
