Widespread sonic booms need not originate from supersonic sources

Evidence

The explanation, at least in Moodus, turns out to be micro-earthquakes from a shallow fault. The little quakes are usually too small to be felt, and may seem an unlikely source of loud booms. A website devoted to the Guns of Barisol, India, on the northern shore of the Bay of Bengal, another place of bewildering sonic booms, tries to inoculate us against the microquake explanation: “You may read … that the Guns of Barisal are supposed to be caused by earth movements too feeble to be felt. Earthquakes can make noises, but not when no movements are felt.” This statement is false. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 690 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Suddenness of displacement, not speed, determines whether a boom is audible; Micro-earthquakes far too small to feel can produce loud audible booms — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 690; Boom-producing surface motion involves extreme acceleration but modest velocity (+1 more)

Related

• Suddenness of displacement, not speed, determines whether a boom is audible (similarity 0.96)
• Micro-earthquakes far too small to feel can produce loud audible booms (similarity 0.91)
• Properly timed small impulses can drive a massive system to immense momentum (similarity 0.84)
• Sudden surface motion is required to produce an audible pop or boom. (similarity 0.83)
• Boom-producing surface motion involves extreme acceleration but modest velocity (similarity 0.81)
• Negative-magnitude microquakes generate audible surface pops (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Micro-earthquakes far too small to feel can produce loud audible booms #exemplifies (0.92) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 690
• Suddenness of displacement, not speed, determines whether a boom is audible #expands (0.85)
• Boom-producing surface motion involves extreme acceleration but modest velocity #expands (0.85)
• Subwoofer mode cancellation needs no equalization to fix boom #expands (0.78)