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The science of frost quakes

Cold snap spurs 'ice booms' as water expands underground

Last Updated: Jan. 3, 2014

A series of early-morning loud booms have startled residents, as cold snaps have swept across the Ontario.

The rare weather occurrence is known as a frost quake, or cryoseism. The graphic below explains how and why a frost quake occurs.

 



Winter storm slams northeast U.S.