Local authorities are at a loss to explain what caused a loud “booming” sound Sunday night that shook homes and was heard from Broxton to Baymeadows.
Local citizens took to Facebook and other social media sites Monday trying to figure out the source of the sound, which occurred sometime around 8:30 to 9 p.m. Some reported hearing the sound multiple times, comparing it to the sound of a canon being fired or a bomb exploding.
From reports, the sound appears to have been loudest close to the Baymeadows community off Ga. Hwy. 158 W., where numerous residents stated their homes were literally shaken.
Outside of the prospect that the sound was a sonic boom created by military aircraft, which has not been confirmed, the most logical explanation could be that Coffee County experienced what is referred to as “Seneca Guns” or small earthquakes.
The U.S. Geological Survey has a page on its website that specifically addresses the phenomena. It states, “Earthquake “booms” have been reported for a long time, and they tend to occur more in the Northeastern US and along the East Coast. Of course, most “booms” that people hear or experience are actually some type of cultural noise, such as some type of explosion, a large vehicle going by, or sometimes a sonic boom, but there have been many reports of “booms” that cannot be explained by man-made sources. No one knows for sure, but scientists speculate that these “booms” are probably small shallow earthquakes that are too small to be recorded, but large enough to be felt by people nearby.”
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