[meteorite-list] TV Film Crew Records Big Boom in North Carolina

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Dec 24 18:53:06 2005
Message-ID: <200512242351.jBONpWZ27691_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=4269451&nav=2gQc

TV Film Crew Records Big Boom
WECT 6 News (Wilmington, North Carolina)
December 21, 2005

What's being described as a big boom shook houses
along the coast late Tuesday afternoon. Phone calls started pouring
into the newsroom shortly after 4:00, with people questioning what the
noise was. Now WECT has obtained a tape with the boom recorded on it.

Alex Markowski is a professor at UNC Wilmington and a sound engineer
working at the Screen Gems Studio in Wilmington. Tuesday afternoon,
during a recording session with a crew from the NBC series Surface, the
low frequency waves from the boom picked up sound on Markowski's equipment.

The boom could be felt from Ogden to Carolina Beach and in some cases
Brunswick County. Some people described it as a loud bang. Others say
it was like several explosions. They say their windows rattled and
homes shook under the force.

WECT called 911 centers around the area. There were no reports of any
accidents or damage in relation to the bangs. Officials at the nuclear
power plant didn't report any problems either. Right now, authorities
are just not sure what caused the noise.

One theory is a natural phenomena called Seneca Guns. It's never been
fully explained but people along the coast have talked about it for
centuries. Some say the sound originates when chunks of the continental
shelf drop into the Atlantic Ocean.

It doesn't just happen along the coast. In fact, the name comes from
Seneca Lake in New York where the big booms have been heard for years.

Five years ago, the Seneca Guns fired here. A scientist from UNCW said
the rumbling came from the ocean, and there were various theories but no
rock solid explanation. He said there was nothing to worry about. It was
just noise. No one was hurt then and no damage was recorded.

Some other theories to explain Tuesday afternoon's boom are methane gas
exploding on the ocean floor, an atmospheric event or a sonic boom. WECT
also received several calls about jets racing through the sky. Local
military officials wouldn't comment.
Received on Sat 24 Dec 2005 06:51:32 PM PST