Some residents of Silver Spring Township in southcentral PA began to experience booming noises days after heavy rain deluged the area in September 2021. Township officials consulted geological experts who concluded that the sounds originated underground but were not related to earthquakes. Instead, the karst system was actively moving the water and debris in the subsurface.
Year: 2021
Mystery booms and skyquakes
The world is a noisy place. But some sounds shake you to your foundation. Mystery booms that come out of nowhere and have indiscernible sources scare people and leave them wondering, “What just happened?” Every week, we find a few reports of “mystery booms” in the news. People report a surprising, loud noise that shakes their house and rattles their windows. This is not a new phenomenon. Reports of such sounds can be traced back through news accounts from over a century ago.
Peabody’s booming earthquake swarm
Residents of Peabody have been experiencing booming sounds that rattle their houses and nerves. A public meeting was held to explain to residents that 3 earthquakes were recorded (below magnitude 2) in the area and this swarm of small quakes is causing the disturbance.
Gates to Hell and Hellmouths
In the past and even today, some believe that you can get to Hell via a portal or entrance from earth. There are countless tales of trips to the underworld made by mythical persons. There continue to be legends about gates to hell around the world that we might access today. Join me for a tour of Hell mouths.
Fireball “mud volcano” in Caspian Sea
On July 4, news started circulating about a huge explosion in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan captured on video. The first information was relayed by the state oil company, SOCAR, to the Russian news agency saying the explosion was real and probably caused by a “mud volcano”.
TikTok generates multiple scare lore stories about flagged cars
Always keen to hear about the latest “weird news”, I noticed a trend in 2020 where young women (typically) were reporting that their cars were moderately vandalized in busy parking […]
Oracle of Delphi: Snake Death Gas or God’s Breath
The colorful and dramatic accounts of the Oracle of Delphi in Greece spanning many centuries appear to be strongly related to the geological setting and seismic activity of the locale. The cultural and geologic history is long and complex. Over time, people have speculated on the explanation as being supernatural, psychic, geological, or a hoax. It took a multidisciplinary effort to reach the most probable proposed explanation we have so far, but there are still many details we’ll never know.
Demon or dino print on the Appalachian Trail
A weird impression in a rock along the Appalachian Trail appears to look like a demon or a dinosaur footprint. What is it, really?
Examining the Mentor ghost child video
A news article out of Mentor, Ohio attracted my attention this past week. The article claimed that local residents were observing strange, “mysterious” incidents and reporting them on their neighborhood […]
Healing waters of Waukesha turned sour
The springs of Waukesha, WI were first advertised as “healing” but eventually the fabled waters dried up and the groundwater turned out to be radioactive.
The fabled Blue Hole of the Pine Barrens
The fabled blue hole of the New Jersey Pine Barrens is rumored to be bottomless and the home of demons or monsters who will pull swimmers under.
Cookie monster agate
A geode infilled with milky blue quartz/agate bears an uncanny resemblance to Sesame Street’s infamous Cookie Monster.
Fillmore underground fire
A thermal anomaly in Fillmore, California emits gases and heat that can burn the vegetation. A form of spontaneous combustion, the underground fire is difficult to extinguish.
Hexenplatten – the witches’ stone
The pitted surface of this outcrop in Switzerland was a mystery. Local people called it the “witches’ stone” or Hexenplatten because they imagined it was formed from the witches dancing.