Social media has been going crazy over the last 48 hours with inquires about loud 'booms' heard around Southern Idaho.

BOOMS in Southern Idaho - An ongoing phenomenon

If you've lived in the Twin Falls area for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the occasional bouts of rumbles we feel from time to time. It's not unusual for the booms to resonate throughout a building and shake windows, debatably similar to what you might feel during an small earthquake. But these (usually) are not earthquakes... So what are they?

Jens Aber - Unsplash
Jens Aber - Unsplash
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Possible Sources of Loud Rumbling in Magic Valley

1. Earthquakes - Southern Idaho experiences its share of small earthquakes, but these are not usually the source of the rumbles around Southern Idaho. You can easily cross-reference booms against the USGS site to see if there has been any seismic activity reported in our area.

Diego PH - Unsplash
Diego PH - Unsplash
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2. Skyquakes - These are a debated phenomenon that are often described as cannon-like sounds and rumbles. I believe these are the least likely source of our noises. It made our list because this a term that is often used to describe what we hear in Southern Idaho.  (Talk amongst yourselves.) - It's worth noting that Magic Valley is mentioned on the wikipedia page about sky quakes. 

Hans Dorries - Unsplash
Hans Dorries - Unsplash
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3. Mountain Home Air Force Base & Surrounding Bombing Ranges - It's reasonable to suggest aircraft could be responsible for the booms heard throughout the valley. Mountain Home AFB is less than 100 miles from Twin Falls and Saylor Creek Bombing Range is about 50 miles west of us. While there is rarely any official word that maneuvers are being conducted, the sounds you hear could be from jets conducting maneuvers. Residents who live and work near any of these areas, often describe increased military activity that coincides with reports of rumblings.

Share Your Skyquake Theories

We've seen several other explanations for the shaking throughout Southern Idaho, including everything from UFO conspiracies to a reasonable conclusion of possible work happening at a quarry near Hollister.

Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think the strange Southern Idaho 'BOOMS' are.

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