CLINTONVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- Bemused curiosity is turning into worry and aggravation for families in a small Wisconsin town longing for peace and quiet after three nights of mysterious booming noises...
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City officials say they have investigated every possible human cause. They checked water, sewer and gas lines, contacted the military about any exercises in the area, reviewed permits for mining explosives and inspected a dam next to City Hall. They even tested methane levels at the landfill in case the gas was spontaneously exploding.
"People in the area are certainly frustrated," City Administrator Lisa Kuss said.
The city is also investigating geological causes. Officials plan to bring in vibration-detection devices to try to determine the epicenter of any underground activity.
Authorities set up audio and video equipment overnight but didn't capture any evidence of shaking or booming despite at least one loud noise about 5 a.m. Wednesday, Kuss said.
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Sharon Binger said the disturbance has left cracks in her basement walls and floor, and that they're getting worse. She said her insurance company won't pay for the damage until she knows what caused it.
"This is an issue," she said, demanding answers from officials at the meeting. "There is something else going on."
Kuss urged Binger to write down when the cracks occurred and promised to send officials to the woman's home to look over the damage.
Debby Ernst has not heard the sound or felt the tremors but said she is still considering going elsewhere until the mystery is solved.
"It worries me. I'm scared," Ernst, a gas station cashier, said in a phone interview. "Who's to say it ain't going to get worse?"
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However, he speculated that water and granite could hold the key to the mystery. Granite has small cracks that water can fill, but if the underground water table falls especially low, water can seep out, leaving gaps that cause the rocks to settle and generate loud noises.
"Maybe the very dry winter caused more water to be removed from the water table, either through pumping or natural flow," he said.
A seismic station near Clintonville, a town of about 4,600 people about 40 miles west of Green Bay, has recorded unusual ground shaking since Sunday night. Scientists say such activity can be caused by mining and heavy truck traffic, but since there are no mines or major construction in the area, the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey will take a closer look at the data.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MYSTERIOUS_BOOMS_WISCONSIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-03-21-18-05-14
Interesting. One woman has cracks in her basement but insurance won't pay for it because the cause of the shaking hasn't be identified. The shaking doesn't sound like enough to be an obvious earthquake. But yet people are hearing booms. Only plausible explanation is the granite / depleted water table due to the dry winter.
Article doesn't say, but I wonder if there's any fracking going on? That caused mysterious earthquakes in Ohio.
