Sonic boom, not earthquake, caused jolt felt widely across SoCal, expert says

Friday, July 9, 2021
A jolt that was felt across the Southland Friday morning is being attributed to a sonic boom, renowned seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones tells Eyewitness News.

Around 9:20 a.m., ABC7 received several calls from viewers wondering whether the shaking was from an earthquake.

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Dr. Jones confirmed seismograms that show the Earth didn't move.
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A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the rattling most likely came from a military aircraft.

There were no immediate reports or damage or injuries.

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NASA describes a sonic boom as "the thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other type of aerospace vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound or supersonic."
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As NASA puts its, "Air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects."



NASA says as objects travel through the air, the air molecules are pushed aside "with great force and this forms a shock wave much like a boat creates a bow wave. The bigger and heavier the aircraft, the more air it displaces."

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