Winter Storm Fern Produces Frost Quakes in Middle Tennessee

Tennessee (WNN)- In the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern, many residents in middle Tennessee were awakened to the sound of loud booms, shaking homes, and popping cracks resulting from frost quakes. Frost quakes, also known as ice quakes and cryoseism, are much like an earthquake with sudden shaking of the ground; they differ in that they are accompanied by a loud boom or series of explosion-like popping sounds.

This normally will occur during the coldest part of the night, between midnight and dawn. Fissures often appear in the ice or snow where the ground has cracked to release pressure. There is usually no structural damage due to this being a non-tectonic seismic event. There were no reports of frost quakes with this storm in North Carolina, although conditions were favorable for such an event. 

Necessary Conditions for Cryoseism

There are many requirements that must be in place and within a short time frame for a frost quake to be possible. 

• An area must be susceptible to cold air masses.
• The ground needs saturation before the cold air arrives and settles.
• A minor amount of snow, but not enough to allow the ground to be insulated. Usually, it is less than six inches.
• Temperatures need to drop rapidly from near freezing down to near or below zero. This usually occurs in less than 48 hours.

What Occurs During a Frost Quake or Cryoseism

What happens when all the requirements are met and the perfect storm forms for an event? The following lists the order in which events work together to produce this rare winter weather event.

• Moisture saturates the ground, and it seeps into the ground. Nearly two inches of moisture, much of it rain and freezing rain, in Nashville.
• Rapidly falling temperatures cause the water underground to freeze suddenly.
• This newly created deck of ice begins to expand and puts extra pressure on the surrounding soil layers and bedrock.
• Pressure is placed on the ice from above and below, in essence causing it to be squeezed.
• Pressure continues to build until the point that the soil layers and bedrock crack. When this occurs a rapid release of pressure results in an explosive expelling of the underground ice, soil, and rock.
• Cracking ground and ice produce loud booms, popping sounds, and sudden ground shaking, sometimes affecting structures.

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