What are "skyquakes" and why scientists have been unable to find out the cause of mysterious sounds around the world for more than 200 years. Video

For over 200 years, eyewitnesses have been reporting "skyquakes". However, scientists still cannot figure out the cause of the mysterious sounds around the world.

These sounds can be compared to gunshots or the roar of a powerful engine. Researchers say that such a miracle has been heard in different parts of the world - from Belgium and Japan to the Finger Lakes area in New York, writes DailyMail.

What are "skyquakes" and where have they been heard?

Scientists have been trying to figure out where these noises come from, putting forward theories such as a meteor exploding in the atmosphere, military exercises, distant storms, or earthquakes. But there is no definitive answer.

The first "skyquakes" were documented in 1811 after people in New Madrid, Missouri, heard strange sounds during a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Residents reported hearing "sounds like artillery".

Similar sounds were then reported during the August 1886 earthquake in Charleston, South Carolina, which were also heard for weeks after the 7.3 magnitude quake. At the time, people described the celestial explosions as "rumblings" or "loud detonations."

These noises are also called Lake Guns or Seneca Guns in the United States, after Seneca Lake in central New York, where this strange phenomenon was also observed in 1850.

"It is a sound like the explosion of heavy artillery, which cannot be explained by any known law of nature," James Fenimore Cooper described in his story "Lake Gun".

Research by scientists

To find out the source of the sounds, in 2020, scientists began using seismic data obtained from the EarthScope Portable Array (ESTA). ESTA is a network of more than 400 seismic stations in the United States that detect earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides, experts say.

A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill cross-referenced ESTA data with news articles to determine whether the noises were caused by earthquakes.

"We think it's an atmospheric phenomenon, we don't think it comes from seismic activity. We assume that it is spreading through the atmosphere, not through the ground," said scientist Eli Bird, who participated in the study of the unknown phenomenon.

The researchers suggested that another cause of the mysterious explosions could be bolides - space rocks that explode when they hit the Earth's atmosphere. Or even large waves crashing over the shore, or the sound of thunder over the ocean.

Despite numerous studies, seismologists still cannot definitively determine where the "skyquakes" come from.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!