If you heard some very loud pops and/or “explosions” during the Polar Vortex that you couldn’t explain, it could have been an ice quake.

The phenomenon is technically called a “cryoseism.” However, it is commonly called an “ice quake” or a “frost quake.” This happens when water gets down into soil or rock and then freezes to ice. That ice expands and pushes the soil or rock apart. That expansion can often be explosive enough to cause loud pops or bangs that have been compared to the sound of gun shots and the like.

There have been many people on social media today stating they have experienced these ice quakes in central Illinois with the frigid, below-zero temperatures we are experiencing.

My wife told me she heard a few of these this morning at our house. She described it as sounding like somebody ran into our house along with some loud cracks and pops. I may have heard one late last night before I fell asleep. That or my wife bumped into something in the dark.

Have you heard/experienced any ice quakes during the Polar Vortex? Tell us on our Facebook page here.

By: Buck Stevens