Mysterious Loud Sounds in Missouri Overnight Were Not Earthquakes

If you thought you heard loud sounds overnight in Missouri Sunday night into early Monday morning, you're not crazy. They were real and I heard them, too, but they were not earthquakes.

Right before I decided to call it a night Sunday and crash in my part of Missouri, I heard a loud sound that made me wonder if the world underneath me and/or around me was about to cave in. I was not alone in my wondering as I've heard there was talk on social media about it, too. Those sounds were real, but they were not earthquakes.

Just to be sure, I checked the USGS earthquake page and while there was one tiny 1.8 magnitude New Madrid tremor Sunday night, the sounds were not that.

If the sounds were real, but weren't earthquakes, what did many in Missouri hear?

Answer - Frost Quakes also known as Cryoseism which Wikipedia defines as "a seismic event caused by a sudden cracking action in frozen soil or rock saturated with water or ice".

It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Most of Missouri is currently in the middle of what will likely be the coldest stretch of temperatures we'll see this winter (or at least I hope). The ground and even your home are likely stressed with any moisture that is quite literally making cracking sounds due to the sub-zero temperatures and wind chills.

This doesn't mean we can't have an earthquake (don't even think about it, New Madrid Fault), but if you hear weird booms or cracking sounds over the next couple of days, a frost quake is likely the reason.