Did Cedar Rapids Get Hit By A ‘Frost Quake’ Saturday?
Numerous residents in Cedar Rapids reported hearing and feeling a loud noise on Saturday. It was described by many as a "quick, loud pop." Some thought that what they were experiencing was a cryoseism or a frost quake.
Chad Canfield told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that the noise was unsettling, and unlike anything, he'd ever heard before. He said that the sound came from deep in the ground and sounded different from other sounds like his house settling or snowplows. But was it a frost quake? Probably not.
Meteorologist David Sheets says that it was more likely water freezing on houses that caused the loud popping sounds. A frost quake happens when water in the ground freezes in extreme temperatures and sometimes causes seismic activity. Sheets says that while temperatures have been cold, they haven't been cold enough for long enough to have frost quakes.
Sheets says if a frost quake did occur, the ground would shake like a minor earthquake and would sound more like a thud than a pop.