Frost Quakes Hit Indiana, Ohio

Late at night, once again hovering over the keyboard, I heard a loud "boom" and felt our house shake. My wife called out "What was that?" With temperatures hovering near zero a quick check out side revealed nothing. No ice or snow had sloughed off the roof, no tree limbs had fallen, and no vehicle had hit the house. We had been hearing sporadic noises for the past couple of days. I had thought that the swing in temperatures was causing the house to creek.

Imagine my surprise when the local TV news reported the next morning that a series of frost quakes, or cryoseisms, had been reported in central Indiana and western Ohio. Frost quakes are the result of the rapid movement of moisture saturated soils subjected to extremely cold temperatures. As the soil rapidly contracts it reaches the threshold of cohesion and crack! A "mini-quake" occurs. There is not a lot of information about this phenomenon. A quick search did reveal some facts.

The Maine Geological Survey site states that frost quakes usually occur the first time the temperature drops below zero. Cryoseism is a very local event that usually occurs in the middle of the night. The vibrations do not travel very far. It is possible for you to feel a frost quake and neighbors down the street thinking you are crazy when you ask them if they felt or heard anything. The study of frost quakes is difficult at best. Occasionally the cracks in the surface of the ground are visible. However, spring thaws normally hide such evidence, and the cracks that are manifested by the quakes are small and widely spaced.

The recent reports from the public have caused quite a stir in both Ohio and Indiana. Both states' Emergency Management officials have investigated the multiple reports which led to the determination that the reports from the public were, in fact, reports of frost quakes.

Thus Old Man Winter strikes again. It is as if the snow, ice storms, blizzard like conditions and sub zero temperatures were not enough. Shoot, why not throw in some frost quakes as well? As geology and soil engineering were my fields of study, I appreciated learning about the phenomenon of cryoseism. The first hand experience was interesting. Now I'm ready for spring.

Sources:
I personally felt and heard a frost quake!
WTHR TV Indianapolis
Maine Geological Survey
Dayton Daily News