Frost quakes are the latest phenomenon in a new year that is challenging people across Canada as they cope with the extreme weather.
Frost quakes are loud booms or bangs that can be accompanied by tremors. In eastern Canada, particularly in the Toronto and Montreal area, they are becoming more common with this year’s combination of an ice storm followed by plunging temperatures.
Sometimes referred to as an “ice quake” they are the result of a weather phenomenon called a cryoseism, This occurs when water in the ground expands in extreme cold
“All of a sudden that ice starts to expand — it’s like having a lid on top of a bottle, that pressure builds and builds until finally something gives, the ice expands, the pressure is released, the ground cracks and we hear what sounds or even feels like a very localized earthquake,” according to Jay Scotland, CBC meterologist.
“This is not an earthquake. It’s ice expanding under the ground, and it leads to a loud boom and gets folks pretty scared when it happens in the middle of the night. Very rare, very cool but very scary.”
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