History of mystery booms as recent news

The phenomenon of mystery booms – that is, unexpected explosive noises heard over a wide area that can’t be traced to an immediate source – are not that rare. They happen regularly across the world and are reported in the news, to police and emergency services, and on social media. Mystery booms of modern times are frequently grouped together by the more metaphysically-inclined followers of natural anomalies who are prone to suggest scary causes relating to approaching natural catastrophes, alien visitations, or religious End Times.

Strange sounds have been reported for centuries. Their descriptions span a huge range – hums, whistles, long rumbling, musical sounds, booms, and, starting around 2011, mechanical and groaning noises. After watching the evolution of reports about noises from the sky for 13 years, I’ve concluded that their recent popularity began as a reaction to the 2012 “end of the world” predictions and were sustained to the present because, quite simply, the modern world is a very noisy place. And, now we pay attention to weird events and share them via social media,

The Kiev video kicked off the hype

In 2011 I was tracking news, videos, and writings about anomalous natural phenomenon when reports of mysterious sky noises took off in conjunction with the proposed, and bogus, Mayan “end of the world” prediction of 2012. At that time, any weird observation, such a mass mortality event, lights in the sky, and various sky noises, were connected together by many superstitious-minded folk as a “sign of the times” and signaling coming doom. As part of my writing on the now defunct daily weird news site, Doubtful News, I followed the reports that were showing up on YouTube, on “odd news” aggregator sites, and in the local news media.

The mainstreaming of sky noises began in earnest in August 2011 based on a video said to have been taken in Kiev, Ukraine. Mechanical-type noises were heard in an urban area. The video, which is likely legitimate, is distinct in that the strange sounds are clearly heard in addition to the normal neighborhood noises in the background. Faking does not seem likely. The unusual sounds had not been adequately explained, partially due to the language barrier. The sounds struck a spooky chord on the Internet.

Copycat videos from various other places appeared on YouTube using the audio taken from this original video. In particular, the Kiev sounds were reproduced on a faked video labeled as being from Conklin. Alberta, Canada. It was obvious to anyone with a bit of critical thinking skills that the Alberta video and the many that followed were faked by dubbing the audio of the Kiev noises.

See Mystery of the Sky Noises

See also Skeptoid: Sky Trumpets (with sound clips)

Expectant attention and rampant speculation

Though the fakery was obvious to many, there was no end to the rampant speculation regarding what might be the cause of actual strange sounds from the sky. In January 2012, people in Costa Rica heard a strange mechanical sound (different than the Kiev event, and most definitely real but mundane) that made the local news. Every weird news story like this was circulated on Facebook and on End Times and paranormal news sites. Often, these stories were then picked up by syndicated news outlets and the story was read worldwide. A “flap” was manufactured due to the expectant attention to strange sounds. At that time, a portion of the population was seriously considering that the misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar meant the world was ending. Reports of rare or seemingly unexplainable events appearing in the news worried people. The anxiety and the exaggerated claims got clicks, thus generating more elevated attention for extreme opinions and conspiracy nonsense. Now that the idea sky noises were in mainstream, real or faked, unusual or normal, people suddenly heard them everywhere simply because they were paying attention.

Mechanical “sky” noises were subsequently explained as industrial malfunctions from factories, construction work, train yards, and snow plows. Urban noises are ubiquitous and can be distorted by weather conditions and reflection/refraction of sound off of surfaces. It was difficult, however, to make an immediate connection to a cause, particularly because sound could travel so far. So, people assumed it was unexplainable and framed these incidents as such on social media. Commenters suggested, without any rational or scientific basis, that the causes were related to shifting magnetic poles, secret underground construction, HAARP experiments, atmospheric or inner earth stresses, alien visitation, and most creatively, the trumpets of angels.

In 2012, I saw news coming from a website called “Geochange” run by Dr. Elchin Khalilov. He suggested that “strange sounds” were the result of some sciencey-sounding causes: 1. acoustic gravity waves in the atmosphere generated by volcanoes and earthquakes or powerful solar flares impacting the earth, 2, energy releases from the earth’s core, or 3. sudden gravitational impulses. His mish-mash of speculation was a messy concoction of real phenomena that he connected to the strange sounds reports but it was unsupported by any evidence. No legitimate work was published except via conference proceedings run by Khalilov’s own “scientific” organization. Even though “acoustic gravity waves” are real phenomenon, they don’t behave as he stated and don’t generate the kinds of sounds described. The purpose of the Geochange site was to convince people that earth changes (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.) were intensifying and that these mystery sounds were associated with those changes. The specious idea of gravity waves generated by solar flares was subsequently reposted all over the web as being from an “acclaimed”, “credentialed” and “renowned” professor – all trumped up hype. The Geochange concepts were a prime example of pseudoscience, some of which continues to circulate to this day as an attention-grabbing insert in articles about mystery booms.

See Scientist states he has explanation for sky noises

After 2012 passed and the world didn’t end, the sky noise craze died down a bit. However, it didn’t go away completely. The prospects of earth changes, End Times, and alien visitation remained in the forefront of people’s minds due to current events.

Even though it appeared that strange sounds seemed to be occurring regularly around the world, this was a function of the availability heuristic: we had been hearing about the phenomenon, so when something similar was experienced in our own environment, we were far more likely to become aware of it, to remark upon it, and to place that event in the same context. Loud sounds from planes, trains, heavy equipment and trucks, often amplified by low cloud cover or other weather conditions, were now noticed and deemed concerning. There are countless examples of people living near airports, train yards and industrial/construction sites experiencing nuisance sounds (including myself). Normal noises were elevated to being abnormal.

Listening for the booms

In the summer of 2013, talk of sky noises was still prevalent in social media and would remain fodder for news and websites. Mystery booms, in particular, were reported frequently all over the world. Those who heard the unexpected booms feared explosions, terrorism, or earthquakes. But most often, there was no immediate and obvious explanation for these incidents, leaving rattled residents feeling unsettled. This lack of closure enhanced the concern and the mysteriousness.

Mystery boom regularly reports appeared on local news sites and broadcasts. With my focus on North American news sources, I notice several incidents per month. When a boom rattles residents across part of a region, some people will call emergency services to report it. The police investigate and check the obvious potential causes, but almost never find anything. Sometimes, a homeowner records the sound or even a flash from a security camera, providing some extra details. Unless authorities can confirm a meteor, an earthquake, or a supersonic jet flyover, the cause is almost never pinpointed.

In 2021, I started noting reported mystery booms appearing in the news from around the world and paid more attention to the speculation over their possible causes – perhaps a pattern would emerge. This closer examination of instances of fleeting “mystery booms” revealed some tangible characteristics that probably reflected upon their origins. When considering the potential causes, I look for notable characteristics such as season, weather, and the report of an associated flash. Was it a weekend, or a holiday that might indicate celebratory explosives? Also important is whether the sound is singular or multiple booms. Booms were more likely to be reported in the cold months. There may be solid reasons for this. People are in their homes during the winter. Sound from various sources travels farther in cold air, when there is less vegetative cover on trees. A structure with closed windows will make the sound waves more noticeable. Low cloud cover can reflect sound waves back to the ground.

In 2022, I kept a spreadsheet of incidents and of what authorities and/or the media noted as the suspected causes of the booms. Some causes are easy to pinpoint if they are associated with other evidence – such as a visual report of a meteor or ground evidence of an explosion. Other events have strong circumstantial evidence due to location or timing – such as military aircraft testing, explosive materials/fireworks, lightning storms, or shallow earthquakes. The main causes determined either by official sources or through the contextual evidence provided were as follows:

Aircraft-created sonic booms or noise. (Military jets, rocket launch or spaceplane) Reporters often call local military bases to ask if they will confirm a supersonic jet flyover. However, it’s reasonable to assume that a spokesperson will not know or will not reveal this happened. We are left with insufficient information to be certain.

Meteor airburst or sonic booms. It is now possible to confirm meteors entering the atmosphere and exploding. Security cameras captured streaks across the sky. Weather satellites sometimes catch the bright flash. People across the world report their visual sightings to databases on the internet. A check on websites can confirm if a meteor was noted where its demise may have resulted in a loud boom. A tiny meteor can make a big noise. But if atmospheric entry occurs in the daytime, it is less likely to be spotted. 

Shallow small earthquakes. Much of the US is covered by an array of seismic detection equipment. Small, shallow quakes, however, may not register unless the seismograph is very close-by. Seismic signals are distinct from surface blasts (from mines/quarries or explosives) and from airborne explosions. Shallow quakes will be noticed only in a very localized area may account for some of the booming sounds. However, with increased local seismic arrays, even tiny quakes can be recorded.

See also Peabody’s booming earthquake swarm and Moodus: The place of bad noises

Frost quakes. Sudden drops in temperatures can create frost quakes. This natural phenomenon is not that familiar even to those in northern areas where they may occur each year. The freezing of water inside rock fractures can break the rock with force, creating a sound and sometimes visible physical damage. But it may go unnoticed. Identification of frost quakes is slowly becoming more common. 

Explosives. Exploding fireworks or tannerite (used for exploding targets) are easily available and readily used, particularly in rural areas. They are legal means to make a big noise, and some people love to dramatically blow things up (recall the several gender reveal stunts using explosives with pink or blue additives). Unfortunately, a few also experiment with homemade explosives. These may or may not have an associated flash when they detonate. Unless the event is directly witnessed, people who hear the noise may not see any obvious source and, because explosions may have occurred on private property, no evidence may be available to definitively point to the source. Controlled explosives, such as mine or construction blasting, military testing, and artilliary practice sound different – that is, more or less annoying – under different atmospheric conditions.

Lightning storms. Severe thunderstorms can produce sound waves that travel very far and may sound like an unnerving constant rumble for many minutes. Without the ability to connect these to lightning flashes (which may be too far away), observers may be confused. The potential for atmospheric ducting, where sound gets transmitted for long distances and is experienced in far away areas (but maybe not in between), means that thunder or explosive booms are felt unevenly across the geographic areas.

Industrial noise/malfunction. As I mentioned earlier, construction and industrial facilities produce disruptive sounds, particularly related to wind direction, cloud cover, or during temperature inversions.
Many mystery booms remained of unknown origin because of insufficient information. A residual number of mystery booms remain mysterious because observations may have been missed or lost. It is very difficult to locate the origin of an unexpected and low-frequency sound. Atmospheric and physical conditions can amplify, transmit, or distort the sound. Therefore, unexplainable events are inevitable but, with all the potential reasonable explanations, there is no justification to promote an extraordinary cause.

See Mystery Booms in 2022.

Sky quakes

In 2021, I wrote a piece for Spooky Geology (now moved onto this website) on mystery booms and sky quakes. “Sky quake” is a dramatic term associated with the noise that people often assume might be from a distant earthquake, but no seismicity is registered in their area. This piece was a look at all the potential causes listed above with a special focus on brontides and noisy earthquakes, which are discussed in Fortean circles. I rather like the term sky quake (or skyquake) even though it’s a bit over the top for some of these events.

I still watch for daily news about mystery booms. Make no mistake, the world is a very noisy place! It’s surprising that news reporters still treat these events as confounding, even though they are so common with several potential causes. We now have better tools that can help us figure out the origin of so-called sky quakes. In the past few months, an early morning boom in New York City was later identified as a localized small earthquake. And mystery booms in Pennsylvania and Iowa were almost certainly tannerite/home grown explosions. Unfortunately, the suspected conclusions come days after the excitement. There is a portion of the population who refuse to accept mundane explanations and prefer to express belief in fabulous and sensationalized ideas instead.

Experienced a mystery boom? Write to me: [email protected]

#anomalousSounds #earthSounds #endTimes #Fortean #MayanApocalypse #MysteryBooms #mysterySounds #skyTrumpets #skyquake #strangeSounds #strangeSoundsInTheSky

https://sharonahill.com/?p=8197

Pic de Bugarach: The mysterious mountain

Pic de Bugarach in Aude, France, is a place that effortlessly combines natural wonder and legends. Add to its history a heaping portion of serious scientific misunderstandings, flavor with rumors and imaginative speculation, then bake for centuries, and the result is a bizarre mashup of fact and fiction that satisfies in our modern spooky times.

Vassil / CC0

There are so many sacred mountains around the world. Perhaps every significant peak has its own mythical origin story. Pic de Bugarach, ranks near the top. Its geological oddness was recognized early in the scientific community as one of the “Pyrenean Paradoxes”. But the copious number of metaphysical claims about this particular mountain is striking. To demonstrate the weirdness, I can’t do better than to quote from a horrendous website called Mary Magdalene France Tours. I leave the spelling and punctuation as in the original:

Pic De Bugarach is both an energetic and geological phenomenon. Geologists say Bugarach is a mountain built upside down. Thousands of years ago when the formations of the Pyrenees Mountains were arising out from the earth one particular peak arose and was toppled over in this cataclysmic transition. […] From an energetic perspective Pic De Bugarach is one of the special power centers of the world holding a dynamic presence for the planet. This relatively small mountain, standing less than 4,000 feet above sea level and a two and a half-hour walk to the top from its base, is a Stargate. A conduit for energies (and possibly life-forms) from other dimensions and realities to pass into the earth, as well as move out from a deep source within the planet. Those with extrasensory abilities, perceive an invisible cloud-like formation directly above the small dome shape peak, it is the entry point into something beyond the human/earth experience, something at such a higher vibration few humans can comprehend all of what it is. […] It appears Pic De Bugarach was designed through the thousands of years for this very function as it has an energetic presence (most likely due to the Stargate) with lay lines streaming out in a variety of directions. The early places of worship were built on the lay lines and later Catholic Churches and Chateaus constructed their temples on the same spots.

Bart Sharp

The writer then meanders into musing about earth chakras, but I will spare you any more of this “sciencey New Age” (or “Sewage”) prattle. This source hits upon most of the claims about the mountain that circulate in fiction (which some think are fact), in paranormal circles, and in modern media. The town of Bugarach itself even capitalized on the weirdness for their own means.

Jcb-caz-11 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Claims

You don’t need extra-sensory ability to notice that the mountain above the sleepy commune-village of Bugarach has a certain presence. Its height at 1230m, while not towering, is enough to generate clouds that shroud the peak. Sources mentioned it is also called ”the crossroads of the four winds” and link it to Atlantis (of course). A few online sources give a magical origin to the peak saying (without reference) that the name is derived from the tale of two brave dwarfs (or children of Jupiter) called Bug and Arag who were granted a wish by the Gods. They wished for a mountain that would shelter the three regions of Roussillon, Corbieres, and Aude. More legitimate sources ignore that tale and opt for a more mundane naming of the village from a Roman settler.

The mountain has caves that are said to be “magical” or full of beautiful crystals. There are rumors of a river and lake under the mountain. There are also stories of old mines and burial crypts. The caves are linked to the colorful conspiratorial tales about Mary Magdalene, and even Jesus, escaping to France. The Cathars, a religious sect in opposition to the Catholics, supposedly hid sacred items in the area, including perhaps in these caves, and kept the location secret and protected. Pic de Bugarach is only about 20 miles from Rennes-le-Chateau, one of the rumored resting places of the lost treasure of the Knights Templars. Daniel Bettex was consumed by his search for the Ark of the Covenant in the mountain. In 1988, his correspondence to others relates that he was looking for the entrance to this hidden world of treasure. When he seemed days away from a revelatory discovery, he was found dead. The circumstances of his death were never made clear and feed additional conspiracies about clandestine groups still guarding the mountain and various secrets or treasures.

The most durable claim is that the mountain is a place of special energy. This is often associated with its unusual geology but also that it is located on the Paris meridian ley line and is part of a system of sacred geometry of earth features. The mountain is said to be “magnetic” and cause compasses to malfunction, so much so that planes will not fly over it because their equipment fails. The nebulous “energy” seems to affect some people positively and others negatively. Strange sounds and lights are said to come from inside. These arcane stories morphed in recent times to encompass the belief that the mountain was a UFO base. The caves, which were also thought to be a passage to the hollow earth or another dimension, were now a hiding place for alien craft.

LucasD / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Inspiration

It is not altogether clear why the mountain of Bugarach was considered sacred and why it motivated many in the weaving of such fantastic yarns. Jules Verne was influenced by it and ultimately strengthened its mysterious nature. Bugarach is said to be where he found the inspiration (and the entrance) for his Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Famous sci-fi story weaver Stephen Spielberg also poked around here and may have formed ideas for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, prior to choosing Devils Tower in Wyoming as the alien rendezvous location. We can see several similarities between the two locations! But in several ways, Bugarach has the upper hand in weirdness.

The swirling mysteries of Pic de Bugarach coalesced in 2012 around the imaginative rumblings about the Mayan apocalypse. In the approach to the so-called doomsday, the mayor of Bugarach appealed to authorities to help him safeguard his village from the hoards of “esoterics” that were coming to the mountain because of its sacred energy. A narrative emerged that the alien craft holed up inside the mountain caves would emerge on the day of destruction and whisk away the lucky pilgrims. The mayor clearly embellished the stories as a way to push out unwanted visitors, depicting them as a possible suicide cult. The media took the bait, repeating many of the spooky and outrageous claims about the village’s magic mountain.

“These blasted prophets from all over the world have turned our mountain into some sort of UFO garage,”

Jean-Pierre Delord, mayor of Bugarach. Reuters

The hot topics of aliens and Mayans intersecting at one sacred mystical mountain were headline gold. The apocalypse at the end of 2012 in all aspects was a giant bust. The mountain was quiet; no crowds came.

ThierryS / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Geology

What’s next is to unpack the actual geology of the Pic de Bugarach. Crazy stories are fun and popular and blatant errors will regularly be passed on and assumed to be factual. Several popular sources repeat the misleading information that the mountain was an ancient volcano. In one absurd book, author Richard Leviton (Walking in Albion, 2010) compares it to Tolkien’s land of Mordor. Although there are extinct volcanoes in the area, Pic de Bugarach isn’t one. Tales of smoke from the mountain are more likely from the clouds that readily condense around it.

Esoteric writer Phillip Coppens repeats that claim that Bugarach is an “upside down mountain” because the layers are millions of years older than the strata below. “It is as if someone shot the mountain in the air, flipped it around, and then it landed again.” Well… No. It’s not like that at all and no reasonable geologist would think this. But the analogy was gratuitously included in several media reports during the 2012 frenzy:

“Scientists say that is because when the 1,230-meter (4,040-foot) mountain erupted, its peak flipped upside down before crashing back down upon the mountain’s base.”

Yahoo News

The peak of Bugarach has long been called “the sacred mountain”; geologists say that soon after the mountain was formed, it exploded and the top landed upside-down.

New York Times

Maybe the media should ask an actual scientist/geologist instead of esotericists because, as we look back to the early days, geologists had a pretty good idea of what really happened here.

Back in the late 1800s, geology was congealing as a science, particularly in Europe. There was not just one but many “paradoxical” locations in the Pyrenees where the law of superposition appeared to be violated. The idea of nappes — large-scale overthrusts on a low angle fault plane caused by compression — had formed based on observations in the European Alps. Nappe (pronounced “nap”) belts were confirmed in similar locations: the Dinarides, Carpathians, and Balkans. Calling the circumstances nappe de charriage (thrust sheets), Marcel Alexandre Bertrand had examined earlier studies from the Glarus Alps and unraveled the tectonic story of rock layers that had been pushed, folded, and stacked upon each other like a rumpled cloth pushed across a table. The scientists of the time recognized the idea of compression of the crust but thought it was a result of the shrinking and cooling of the earth. The timing was just not right for anyone to recognize plate tectonics in action.

Parts of a nappe belt can become isolated when erosion dismembers the overthrust layer. These are called klippen. A klippe (pronounced “klip’-uh”) is an island of older rock with younger ones around it. So, it looks “upside down”. Pic de Bugarach is a klippe where Jurassic limestones were thrust over younger Cretaceous strata. In 1889, geologist M. Carez had determined Pic de Bugarach was related to charriage.

Rock masses are compressed so that the older rock (gray) over-rides the younger rock (white).
Later, erosion leaves windows and klippen as outliers.

No scientist ever had seriously held that Pic de Bugarach was a volcano or a mountain top blown over. Perhaps the idea of “overthrown” strata in the description of the formation of a nappe was misinterpreted by someone who wasn’t versed in geological concepts, and the sciencey-sounding idea was interesting enough to repeat. There may be small caves in the limestone but this is not a developed karst system. It’s wishful thinking alone to expect that there are reasonable hiding places for treasure here, not to mention the existence of such treasures to begin with. The exaggerated tales of energy and magnetism are also unfounded. Such claims can easily be tested but people would rather keep repeating the magical stories instead.

Even today, Bugarach is still plagued by misleading publicity and opportunists. The New Age Sewage continues to be propagated, unabated by facts and reality. People collect and sell ‘authentic’ Pic de Bugarach pieces to sell to the esoterics worldwide, much like magical crystals.

Across the world, misunderstanding of geology and natural features can lead people to think certain places are sacred, abodes of the gods or spirits, or doorways to evil realms. Like molten blobs, the stories accrete onto the place. This isn’t always a bad thing, but it can be. And the nonsense can mask a more elegant truth underneath.

For the story of Bettex and the publicity over 2012 in Bugarach, check out the Unexplained Mysteries podcast. Part 1 and 2.

Additional References

Stuart-Menteath, P. W. (1903). “The Pyrenean Paradoxes,” Pyrenean Geology, Part III.

Trümpy, R. (2001). Why plate tectonics was not invented in the Alps. Int J Earth Sciences. 90: 477- 483.

#aliens #ArkOfTheCovenant #Cathars #earthEnergy #esoterics #France #hiddenTreasure #Jesus #klippe #KnightsTemplar #leyLines #MaryMagdalene #MayanApocalypse #nappe #Pyrenees #sacredGeometry #Stargate #UFOs

https://sharonahill.com/?p=1441