Mysterious booms in Eureka, California

chrismg
but if its occurring hundreds of kilometers beneath the surface it could just be following a line of a certain faultline.

I suppose this could be true, but I am no expert on plate tectonics.

So my question would be , How far would a sound like that carry and do the sounds seem to originate along a shared fault line.

I'll have to do some looking unless one of our more knowledgeable members would like to way in on this one.

Penny

the sound could carry hundreds of miles down the fault as it rapidly shears from one end to another.

reply to post by chrismg


Chrismg,

The booms seem to be localized and not heard for many miles around, which is what led me to think that they are the sounds of humans beings blowing things up. The whole of Eureka only encompasses 14.45 sq miles and I would imagine that any geological event like the one you refer to would be heard and felt throughout the city.

I was checking out the total population for all of Humboldt county (134,827 for 2012) within a space of 4,052 sq miles. That's really a lot of space in which to blow things up and not get caught.

Penny

ok well fine were they like explosive boom life from an explosion or a sonic boom from an aircraft? was there anything about it in your local news?

reply to post by chrismg


Tannerite .... The most logical explanation. It could be another explosive but I doubt it.

Considering Penny let me know that it is sold over the counter as a tool for tree stump removal... solidifies my original conclusion.

Sometimes a tree is just a tree... and then you will have a few argue to no end that it is not a tree but something paranormal. But that does not change the fact that it is really a tree.

well ok maybe in a large case but were the booms large or small were they very seismic or was there none at all?

chrismg
ok well fine were they like explosive boom life from an explosion or a sonic boom from an aircraft? was there anything about it in your local news?

Most of the reports from witnesses seem to saying that they are explosions loud enough to rattle windows and shake houses. From what I understand some have reported seeing a flash of light as well.

I believe the OP posted links to our local blog/news reports on the subject with witness statements from various parts of the county.

I don't think it's a sonic boom because this would not explain the flash folks are seeing. I would think if there were illicit labs blowing up at this rate there would be the inevitable structure fire that goes along with that sort of thing. I'm not ready to rule out aliens or bean dinners quite yet.

As to the OP's original question, I do think local folks are blowing things up for fun at an alarming rate. Not only that but it would seem to be more than a single group of people. I truly hope that no one gets hurt as it doesn't sound like they are practicing safe explodings.

Penny

there was the same anomaly in northeast wisconsin and all it turned out to be was a shallow focus earthquakes registering only 1.5. i really don't think its some kind of californian hick having some fun with explosives.are there any underground mines near the "booms"

stormcell

dlbott
reply to post by Astrithr

 

Have you heard other noises. I am close to military base so booms are common and would be hard to differentiate. But have heard some other strange sounds like today. It hard to explain, kinda semi high pitch machine type sound. It was very strange and loud, it was probably coincidence but it was coming directly from the area where the sun.

That kinda freaked me out. Very strange.

The Bot

Sounds like jet fighters doing target practice - they have Gatling guns. Those guns make a fast "vvvvvvvv" sound. In Europe the fighter planes practice target runs over farmhouses and other rural properties. Scares the beegees out of our cats and myself when they make that "vrrrroooooppppp" sound.

No i am a veteran and know all the sounds intimately. Today it was different, there was a very loud roar that lasted about five minutes. Now much later two f16 came in on attack run. The roar they make when they bug out is very close but no way near loud enough or long enough. These strange sky noises been going on for couple months now. Strange.....

The Bot

reply to post by dlbott


you never know the air force or air national guard could be doing high altitude sonic booms to test aircraft. but if they did it at low altitude it could damage property and injure people.

reply to post by chrismg


I was looking into whether or not there are currently operating underground mines utilizing explosives near Eureka or Fortuna and there does not seem to be any that are currently operating.

I am curious though, why do you feel they are not, as you say, "California hicks" blowing things up ?

Penny

reply to post by pennylemon


1. The government have an underground system near your area or it could be an anthracite mine or the possibility of the Californian hicks blowing crap us for kicks. who knows?

My wife and I lived in Humboldt County for many years before moving away in 2010 and moving back in May of this year. Since May we've experienced three of these booms. We are in Eureka, very close to the bay, and the sound definitely is coming from the east for us. Never any sirens afterward. I've never been outside when it happens, which so far has always been at night, so I haven't seen any sort of flash of light like others are reporting. My friends up here say they have lots of experience with hearing the booms and no clue as to what is causing them.

There was one two nights ago that was the loudest we've heard. It shook the windows of our house. Really curious.

Hello, fellow Eureka ATSer. I've heard a lot of these booms from out in Myrtletown. Some of them have definately been fireworks. At least one was lightning.

I've heard people talking about some of these booms caused by kids playing with some kind of gunpowder/gasoline concoction. I have no idea if there's anyting to that rumor.

There was another very loud one just a few minutes ago, although I didn't hear it.
lostcoastoutpost.com...

a reply to: Tearman

Blueish light, big boom? Been there done that. Electrical transformer on telephone pole blows up. It will startle the crap out of ya the first time, and definitely rocks the neighborhood and beyond. Had one go off right down the street from me once. It was like a bomb going off. Sky lit up, ground shook, house rattled, nerves frayed.