Key facts (TL;DR) 2013 featured late-December clusters of cryoseisms (frost quakes) during intense cold, scattered earthquake booms amid small seismic swarms, and occasional human activity (training, exploding targets). A few reports remain unexplained.
Jump to: causes · how to tell · Dec · Nov · Apr · Mar · Feb · Jan · Report a mystery boom
What was that boom? If a thunderless blast shook your windows and rattled your bones in 2013, you weren’t alone. Residents around the world reported unexplained loud booms—often called skyquakes—that set off car alarms, sent pets into hiding, and left officials scrambling for answers.
What causes “mystery booms”?
- Icequakes (cryoseisms) during rapid deep freezes
- Shallow earthquakes & rock fracturing
- Meteors & sonic booms (fireballs, fast jets)
- Military / police training & industrial incidents
- Exploding targets and other recreational sources
How to tell what you heard
- Series of cracks in intense cold: frost quakes likely.
- Single jolt + felt quake on USGS/EMSC: earthquake boom.
- Windows rattle, clear sky, no thunder: sonic or industrial blast.
Methodology: We prioritize official advisories, USGS/NWS data, local outlets, and verifiable user videos.
Loud Booms — December 2013
- Dec 30 — Durham Region, ON (Canada): Regional shaking linked to cryoseisms during an extreme cold snap. DurhamRegion
- Dec 15 — Franklin, GA (USA): Mystery booms baffle residents. FOX 5 Atlanta (Facebook)
- Dec 2 — Azle, TX (USA): Booms amid frequent small earthquakes unsettled locals. KERANews
- Dec 1 — Rome, GA (USA): Police probed a loud boom heard citywide. NW Georgia News
- Dec 1 — Oklahoma (USA): Context piece: ~10% of U.S. quakes occurring in OK; questions about drilling & induced seismicity. E&E News
Loud Booms — November 2013
- Nov 27 — Philadelphia, MS (USA): Police say source of repeated booms remained unexplained.
- Nov 27 — Madison County, TX (USA): Sheriff’s Office cited Tannerite as a possible cause of a loud boom.
Skyquakes — April 2013
- Apr 19 — East Heaven to Milford, CT (USA): Mysterious boom rattled windows and nerves. Flash of light. Strange Sounds; Source
- Apr 16 — SA and VA (USA): Sonic Boom? Strange Sounds
- Apr 9 — Nashville, TN and Jacksonville, TX (USA): Loud humming booms and rumblings. Strange Sounds
- Apr 4 — Windsor, VA (USA): House shaking rumbles stress residents. Flash of light in the sky. Strange Sounds
Skyquakes — March 2013
- Mar 20-23 — CA, SD, KS (USA): Loud Booms Compilation March 20-23. Strange Sounds
- Mar 21 — East Brainerd, TN (USA): Unexplained Explosion. Burn mark on the street.
- Mar 21 — West Florida Coast, FL (USA): Loud fireball disitegration boom shakes towns along west coast of Florida. Strange Sounds
- Mar 20 — Nantucket, MA (USA): Loud Sonic Boom. Daytime. Residents scared.
- Mar 19 — Rockport, IN (USA): Mysterious noise wkes up residents. News 14
- March 18 — CA, WA, NY, MI (USA): Explosions and unexplained booms across the US. Strange Sounds
- March 17-18 — NM, IL, TX, CA, WA (USA): It’s booming and rattling across America. Strange Sounds
- Mar 16 — PA, OH, NM, AZ (USA): Each days, more unexplained explosions and booming sounds. Strange Sounds
- Mar 16 — South Jersey, NJ (USA): Army jet sonic booms shake area. Strange Sounds
Fighter jets sonic boom over South Jersey (): - March 13-16 — Russia, Mexico, USA, Australia: Now mysterious explosions also reported around the world. Strange Sounds
- Mar 8-14 — TX, SC (USA): The booms are moving South. What’s going on? Strange Sounds
- Mar 13 — Bayou Perot, LA (USA): Huge explosion after ship hits oil pipeline.
Fire and explosion in Louisiana ():
Skyquakes — February 2013
- Feb 30 — East Naples, FL (USA): Loud Booming Sound Rattles windows. Sonic boom? Army training? Blast? Mystery remains. Strange Sounds, Strange Sounds 1.
- Feb 27 — Tucson, AZ (USA): Sonic booms rattle city. Thousands report loud rumblings and houses shaking. Strange Sounds
Fighter jets go sonic over Tucson, Arizona (): - Feb 24 — Bradford, VT (USA): Army jet sonic boom rattles windows and nerves. Strange Sounds
- Feb 10 — Milwaukee (USA): Mysterious underground explosion rocks neighborhood. Strange Sounds
- Feb 6 — Midlands (USA): Tannerite explosion is not behind the loud booms aross the Midlands!. Strange Sounds
Loud Booms — January 2013
- Jan 31 — Oahu (USA): Loud Rumblings related to Army trainings. Strange Sounds
- Jan 21 — Barry (UK): Mysterious explosion rocks shopping center. Barry and District News
- Jan 16-18 (USA): Loud Boom Compilation. Strange Sounds
- Jan 14 — Frederick County, VA (USA): Construction work explosion rattle area. Strange Sounds
- Jan 9 — Tri-State, KY, IL, IN (USA): Recurrent loud mystery booms baffle residents, rattle windows and homes. Peoria ADM plant explosion? Strange Sounds
Loud Booms Continue in the Indiana Tri-State (): - Jan 9 — Across Utah (USA): Explosions shaking windows. Source: B-52 bombers conducting bombing runs at the Utah Test and Training Range. KSL
- Jan 9 — Evansville, IN (USA): Skyquakes baffle residents and shake buildings. Remains unexplained. 14 News
- Jan 8 — North Hollywood, CA (USA): This earth-rattling explosion is still a mystery. LA Times
- Jan 6 — Salem, MA (USA): Early-morning loud bangs heard across the city. Salem Patch
- Jan 4-5 — Eagle River to Mat-Su Valley, AK (USA): Loud earthquake booms prior supershear M7.5 Alaska earthquake on January 5, 2013. Strange Sounds
- Jan 3 — Red Bank, SC (USA): Morning bangs shake buildings and residents. Still unexplained. WISTV
