Salt Lake City, UT – Residents from Salt Lake City to Provo could soon hear thunder-like booms or feel brief vibrations through the ground as temperatures plunge this week. According to the Utah Geological Survey, these startling sounds are likely frost quakes — natural cracking events that occur when frozen ground suddenly splits under pressure.
Known scientifically as cryoseisms, frost quakes happen when rain, melting snow, or groundwater seeps into the soil, then freezes too fast during a sharp cold snap. As that trapped moisture expands into ice, it builds immense underground pressure until the ground suddenly fractures, releasing energy in a quick, explosive burst.
Meteorologists say northern Utah’s forecast — featuring mild daytime highs followed by arctic overnight lows — is the perfect setup for frost quakes. The Wasatch Front, including Salt Lake, Utah, and Davis Counties, faces the highest risk, especially where there’s little snow cover to insulate the soil from freezing.
These events typically occur between midnight and dawn, when the air is coldest. While frost quakes are short-lived and rarely damaging, they can rattle homes or cause small cracks in pavement and driveways.
Experts recommend improving drainage around homes and moving water away from foundations before deep freezes arrive.
So if you’re startled by a loud boom on a calm, icy night from Salt Lake City to Provo, don’t panic — it’s Utah’s frozen ground cracking under the stress of winter.
