Frost Quakes are continuing with the rapid decline in temperatures. I didn’t actually hear one here, but I have photographic evidence that we had one.
This is what I woke up to on the ground beneath the tree and all around my hedges, here at home and all around the block on my paper route.
Frost Quake icicles
The trees are bare of their previous coating of ice, and now the icicles lay all over the ground like tiny transparent straws. Interesting, yet as slippery as sheer ice to walk on.
Unlike earthquakes, frost quakes are close to the surface and are therefore undetectable by seismic equipment.
So if you live in the widespread area of plummeting temperatures right now, and you hear a loud booming noise, it may not actually be a car hitting your home. It might be a frost quake.
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January 4, 2014 at 12:05 pm
My laptop was temporarily possessed – it changed screens while I was typing or did I lean on a key with my elbow? Anyway – seeing that another author’d written a blog dedicated to the ‘like’ button, I’m even more conscious of what I mean when I select ‘like’ after reading. In this case I’m not implying “oh great” with the ice problems you’ve been describing and now quakes, I’m saying I was here -‘I came, I read, I respond’ whether by just selecting ‘like’ or by that and having something to say – wow, all that when all I wanted to say is… uh, oh – I forgot.
Just kidding – Even if it’s a quake it’s like having two storms, ice and then ice. Makes one sorry the temp has gone up. Ours has dropped. We got the snow that’d melted back and we’re supposed to get more tonight and all day tomorrow. We’ll see but enough people have taken it seriously with store shelves getting bare, which means everyone’s returned from vacations and the town’s full-up again.
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January 4, 2014 at 2:13 pm
The radio here is saying we’re in for a foot of snow, but on the internet it says about 6 inches… which probably means we’ll get somewhere between 18 and 24 inches all told. 😛 No one stocks up with food here. We either drive or walk no matter what – unless it’s like the storm we had in ’76 when we couldn’t even open the front door. That rarely happens though, obviously.
I “like” posts when I actually like them, but also sometimes to say that I’ve read them and to give support. I never “like” something I can’t find any merit in whatsoever.
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January 4, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Growing up in New York, when weather was colder and we had real winters, before the ski lodge had to close because there wasn’t enough snow anymore, even the schools were open during blizzards. One reason was the teachers couldn’t get paid otherwise – they had to be open at least 2 hours to justify it – buses had chains around the wheels. I’d always go, it was fun, classes weren’t exactly held in the traditional way and then we’d be on the way home. There were more local stores around so the other fun thing would be to walk in the snow to one of the smaller markets, some had lunch counters, everyone was open in case someone dropped in. Snow and snowstorms were just a part of it.
The sky here went from partially sunny to super-grey. It may just drop on us yet…
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January 4, 2014 at 6:19 pm
It was that way when I lived nearer Ottawa – there was never a snow day for my kids. Where I live now, they see a flake and everything gets cancelled. It’s sooo frustrating!
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January 4, 2014 at 7:42 pm
Yes, it’s ridiculous especially where snow is commonplace.
If we were going backwards we’d be braving the elements pre-innovation, pre-salt, pre-snow tires. We’d be putting chains on our tires and throwing bags of sand in the pick-up bed or trunk to get more traction. I’m not certain which direction I’d call this.
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January 4, 2014 at 8:27 pm
Backwards with front wheel drive? 😛 haha
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January 4, 2014 at 8:36 pm
Works for me… 🙂
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January 3, 2014 at 11:19 pm
Reblogged this on Forever Ready.
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January 3, 2014 at 3:24 pm
nice ice transitions
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January 3, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Thank you 🙂
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January 3, 2014 at 12:33 pm
Essentially the physics as when an ice cube explodes upon contact with the rum, I believe. We await the definitive scholarly paper on this.
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January 3, 2014 at 12:38 pm
Now if only we could get maples to exude rum instead of sap…
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January 3, 2014 at 12:51 pm
Nirvana
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January 3, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Smells like teen spirit to me! 😉
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January 3, 2014 at 11:41 am
I’ve heard of them. I’m not sure I heard one. You would think we would have. Do you feel it? What does it do? Are they common where you are? I kind of want to use it in a story.
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January 3, 2014 at 11:45 am
I don’t believe they’re common anywhere. It’s the result of the perfect storm, in that the ice storm provided moisture just beneath the surface that, when it froze there, caused shifting in the rocks, concrete and solid earth. It must be possible to feel them since they shook the ice off all the tree branches.
I found a bit about them on Wikipedia. If you look up “cryoseism” you’ll be able to get more info. It is a great phenomenon for a story though, isn’t it? 🙂
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January 3, 2014 at 11:23 am
I remember the first time I heard one of those – scared the crap out of me. We had experienced a sudden drop in temperature to -40C. Good post. 🙂
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January 3, 2014 at 11:27 am
Thanks, Lynette. I can imagine it would be scary!
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January 3, 2014 at 11:13 am
This is the first time I have heard of frost quakes. They’re magical, albeit a little dangerous underfoot. Thank you for the beautiful photo of one.
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January 3, 2014 at 11:16 am
Thank you, Professor. They’re a rare phenomenon, apparently, but they’re happening all over the northern U.S. and here in Canada along the border where the ice storm took place.
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