What are those booms I sometimes hear before or during an earthquake?
"Booms" have been reported for a long time, and they tend to occur more in the Northeastern US and along the East Coast. Of course, most "booms" that people hear or experience are actually some type of cultural noise, such as some type of explosion, a large vehicle going by, or sometimes a sonic boom, but there have been many reports of "booms" that cannot be explained by man-made sources. No one knows for sure, but scientists speculate that these "booms" are probably small shallow earthquakes that are too small to be recorded, but large enough to be felt by people nearby.
Large sonic booms can be recorded on the seismic instruments and have lead to some interesting observations.
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South Napa Earthquake – One Year Later
One year ago, the largest earthquake in over 25 years hit the San Francisco Bay Area, causing significant damage in California’s famous Napa Valley. The magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred early in the morning on August 24, 2014, on the West Napa Fault.
"Living in Earthquake Country: Los Angeles and the Big One" - Dr. Lucy Jones presentation at LA Natural History Museum
"Living in Earthquake Country: Los Angeles and the Big One" - Dr. Lucy Jones presentation at LA Natural History Museum
Shaking it Up in Alaska: ShakeMap Released for 7.9 Earthquake
A ShakeMap portraying the variations in shaking intensity from the Nov. 3, 2002, 7.9-magnitude earthquake was released today by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Earthquake Shaking— Find the ’Hotspots’
In conjunction with the seventh anniversary of the 1994, 6.7 Northridge earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), has produced a two-page fact sheet that explains how geologic conditions in the Los Angeles basin affect the amount of shaking experienced by various areas of the basin.
Damage from South Napa Earthquake
Damaged unreinforced masonry building on Main Street in downtown Napa, California. Photograph credit: Erol Kalkan, USGS
USGS Scientist Installing Seismograph
USGS scientist John Hamilton installing a seismograph in the offices of the major-league soccer team San Jose Earthquakes’ new stadium.
Seismographs at the U.S. Geological Survey
Seismographs at the U.S. Geological Survey record (1) north-south horizontal, (2) east-west horizontal, and (3) vertical components of the earthquake.
Did You Feel It? for a Sonic Boom off the Coast of New Jersey
Geocoded Did You Feel It? responses for a sonic boom off the coast of New Jersey on January 28, 2016.
See https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20004vbk#dyfi