In addition, minimal snow cover allows the cold to permeate further underground and a rapid drop in temperature causes the water underground to freeze more quickly, according to Witt. The best conditions for a frost quake occur when a very cold air mass moves over a recently saturated surface, typically from melting snow or rain. Technically called cryoseisms, they can happen when water underground freezes quickly and expands during a cold snap, said Sarah Thunberg, another meteorologist. Frost quakes are most common the Northeast, Great Lakes region and Alaska," Witt said. What about frost quakes Extreme temperature changes can be associated with a rare phenomenon called frost quakes, which also are possible as temperatures plummet across the region. "Therefore, frost quakes can happen almost anywhere that extremely cold weather is present, as it's not a seismic event related to tectonic plates. However, instead of tectonic plates grinding against each other, it's ice against the underground soil. 'Theyre more often to occur when we get a cold snap at the beginning of the year,' Jamison told Seacoast Current. Forecaster Sarah Jamison at the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine said they are not uncommon in New England. This is similar to the way in which an earthquake occurs. Frost Quake One possible explanation could be a cryoseism also known as a frost quake. This expansion puts stress on its surroundings, which can be released explosively in the form of a frost quake," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Derek Witt. "However, during periods of extremely cold weather, the water further underground can also freeze, and when it does, it expands. In between there are a handful of lesser quakes, like the magnitude 2.4 near Ludlow on Saturday. Every year the state records at least one earthquake between magnitude 3 and 3.9, which is enough to swing a hanging lamp or rattle some dishes. ![]() ![]() ![]() Another explanation for booms during cold snaps is the expansion and contraction of houses and other structures due to the extreme temperatures. 14Theres a lot of underground activity in Maine. These events are not recorded on seismographs. Geological Survey (USGS) said.įrost quakes occur because water naturally trickles down into the ground, and during winter, water close to the surface will freeze due to the colder air above. A frost quake is a result of shallow groundwater freezing, expanding, and then causing surrounding frozen rock and soil to crack. There is no such thing as "earthquake weather," with an equal distribution of earthquakes in cold, hot, dry or rainy weather, the U.S. However, frost quakes are not related to earthquakes, the movement of tectonic plates, volcanoes or other factors that are unrelated to surface temperature. Frost quakes are often mistaken for earthquakes because the initial indicators may appear similar to those of an earthquake, including tremors, vibrations, ground cracking and related noises, such as thundering or booming sounds.
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