ABC 4 identifies Utah's mysterious rumble


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Updated: 1/13 3:22 pm | Published: 1/09 5:58 pm
Reported by: Noah Bond
"The first time I heard it I thought it was a big truck in our neighborhood, but the second time I was wondering if that was a small earthquake," -Jenna Fowers
WASATCH FRONT, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft flying from Barksdale, Louisiana caused the great rumble over portions of Utah and Wyoming when it dropped bombs in a training center west of the Great Salt Lake.

The rumblings were heard and felt from Sandy all the way to Rock Springs, Wyoming Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m.

The first rumbling lasted about five seconds and the second rumbling, which came about two minutes later, lasted about four seconds. 

The training exercise included dropping bombs west of the Great Salt Lake.  The concussion produced sound waves so low they could not be detected by the human ear, but they were powerful enough to rattle windows and shake homes.

University of Utah Seismologist Katherine Whidden says the inversion played a roll in the rumblings across the Wasatch Front.  She says the particles in the air can direct the sound waves toward the ground with greater force. 

A spokesperson for Hill Air Force Base wrote in a news release, the inversion can amplify the waves as they travel creating a more powerful sound even at greater distances. 

Rumbles will be felt across Utah Wednesday night around 9:00 p.m. as another B-52 Stratofortress bomber completes a similar test run. 

Click on the attached link to read a Hill Air Force Base news release about the rumbling that shook Utah. 

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The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of ABC4

beckstreet - 3/8/2013 10:27 PM
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There are rumblings again coming from north salt lake area tonight and last night that start around 10pm and end around 10:30. This time the rumblings are constant and deep sounding like an earthquake. Many people in magna can hear it. Can you guys investigate again?

btruth - 1/11/2013 5:15 PM
0 Votes
They're practicing for Operation Garden plot, when they will carpet bomb citizens/towns/cities/neighborhoods/etc. etc. who hold out in the coming civil war!

whidden - 1/11/2013 3:01 PM
0 Votes
This is Katherine Whidden, the scientist quoted in the story. Air particles associated with the inversion do not cause the sound wave to hit the ground with greater force. Rather, the inversion can "trap" the wave, causing it to be felt over a wider area. This has to do with the interface between the air masses, not particles.
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