Mysterious 'Skyquake' Boom Sounds Spark Global Debate, Researchers Speak Out
The mysterious phenomenon of loud booming sounds, often referred to as ‘skyquakes’, has once again sparked global public discussion. These explosive sounds, consistently reported for hundreds of years, are frequently associated by the public with seismic activity or earthquakes. Historical records indicate similar sounds were reported during the great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812, and again in January 2020. Reports of these mysterious booms also occurred near Seneca Lake in New York, United States.
However, is this phenomenon truly triggered by the movement of the Earth’s plates? Scientists have finally spoken out to clarify the confusion.
According to IFL Science, a comprehensive study in 2020 attempted to solve this mystery. The research team utilised super-sensitive seismic data from the EarthScope Transportable Array (ESTA) to analyse and compare various reports of booming sounds in the US, including data up to 2023. Researchers from the University of North Carolina also conducted in-depth tracking based on news reports and verified the sounds using seismo-acoustic data from ESTA.
The results were surprising. Scientists concluded that the series of explosive sounds had no connection whatsoever to earthquake activity. ‘Generally, we believe this is an atmospheric phenomenon—we don’t think it’s from seismic activity,’ said lead researcher Eli Bird. ‘Our assumption is that the sound propagates through the atmosphere rather than through the ground,’ he added.
During the research process, the team analysed infrasound data—very low-frequency sound waves that are inaudible to the human ear. Using ESTA equipment, they successfully captured signals lasting between 1 and 10 seconds that matched the timing of boom reports from residents. Despite this, there is still no single definitive explanation for the original source of these skyquakes.
Nevertheless, scientists have mapped out several hypotheses for the primary causes of this atmospheric phenomenon. One strong theory points to sonic booms generated by jet aircraft travelling faster than the speed of sound. Another theory links the phenomenon to bolide activity in the upper atmosphere—a type of large meteor that explodes in the sky invisibly, leaving only the sound waves of the boom to travel down to the Earth’s surface.