romkids:

Cryoseism: Did you wake up with a bang this morning?

You may not have been dreaming when you thought you heard a loud sound in the early morning. The phenomenon is called cryoseism and was also reported on Christmas eve around the GTA.

Why is this happening and what is cryoseism? 
Cryoseism occurs when the ground and rock contains a significant amount of water, and as the temperatures rapidly dip, the water freezes expanding by 9%, putting stress on the surrounding rock. The stress releases explosively creating a boom as the ground cracks. The Great Lakes area seems to record many of these events, and the frequency of the ones here in Toronto have been attributed to the ice storm and the very cold temperatures we have been experiencing this winter.

More information

• CBC: The science of frost quakes
• ROMKids: Ice Storm Hits Toronto: Broken trees line the streets, 250,000+ lose power, & Instagram accounts fill with photos of ice
• Original post found HERE.

Image Credits

1. Frost feathers: By Julochka, February 2011 via Creative Commons Attribution.
2. Frost: By Oliver H, February 2013 via Creative Commons Attribution.

Guest post written by Katherine Dunnell, ROM Mineralogy Technician. Last update: January 3, 2013.

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Arley Rinehart Associates, Cabin

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