On Wednesday morning, while lying in bed and looking at her phone, Donna Lindstrom heard a loud noise that shook her historic 19th-century home in the town of East Hampton, Connecticut.

The 66-year-old retired delivery driver and many other locals in the town took to social media to discuss the recent resurfacing of mysterious explosive noises and tremors, commonly known as the “Moodus Noises” that have been documented for centuries.

Lindstrom described it as a sonic boom, a sudden burst of sound that was short and loud. He felt the impact deeply.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 1.7 magnitude earthquake, which was confirmed to be very small.

According to Robert Thorson, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Connecticut, there have been reports of booms, rumblings, and rattling in the East Hampton region, including the village of Moodus, for hundreds of years. These occurrences pre-date a major earthquake that was documented on May 16, 1791 and caused damage to stone walls and chimneys.

Actually, the term “Moodus” is derived from “Machimoodus” or “Mackimoodus,” which translates to “place of unpleasant sounds” in the Algonquian languages once used in this region. In tribute to this background, a nearby high school has adopted “The Noises” as their team name.

The federal government conducted a study in the late 1980s on the “Moodus Noises”, which occurred frequently, due to concerns about the impact of seismic activity on the nearby Haddam Neck Nuclear Power Plant, which is now decommissioned.

According to the speaker, the cause of the sounds was due to minor seismic movements in a strong and brittle crust. This was further intensified by the presence of rock fractures and the surrounding topography.

Thorson explained that there is a tectonic aspect to Moodus that is responsible for the noises occurring, but also an acoustic component that is enhancing or changing the noises. However, there is currently no definitive explanation for the origins of either phenomenon.

Thorson suggested that there may be a network of subterranean cracks or voids in the vicinity that could enhance the volume of sounds produced by pressure stress on the Earth’s crust.

He remarked, “There will be crunching sounds created by that.” He compared it to the sound of ice cubes breaking. We are not able to reword this text as it contains a comparison.

He explained that this does not indicate an imminent threat of a major earthquake.

“The rift faults previously present here (from millions of years ago) have disappeared,” he explained. “They have been replaced by a compressional stress.”

He explained that the pressure has resulted in the loud noises and occasional shaking that are known as the “Moodus Noises.”

Lindstrom stated, “It’s an inevitable aspect of life that we must all accept.” He added, “I’m grateful to not reside in California.”

Source: wral.com