Strange rattling, shaking, and quaking in Orange County

Updated: According to the Orange County Register, a Bob Dollar of the USGS told the Register Caltech scientists reviewed seismograms from Tuesday night's event in Orange County.

"These data are consistent with a sonic event coming onshore near Dana Point and traveling northward inland," Dollar said.

"The energy travelled across our seismic sensor network at the velocity of a compressional wave in air rather than the velocity of a similar wave through the ground, which is much faster," Dollar said.

Source: Orange County Register - Link

Updated: 3-4-09 -Mysterious rattling reported in Santa Cruz county; earthquake ruled out as the cause

By Michael Torrice - Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted: 03/04/2009 02:08:59 PM PST

SANTA CRUZ - Even though Central Coast residents felt rattled Wednesday morning, the source of the shaking was not under their feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At 9:15 a.m., USGS sensors detected ground movement, but the signals did not resemble an earthquake, said Leslie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the USGS.

The movement appeared to originate off the Monterey Bay coast, Gordon said.

"Our best guess is that it was a sonic boom from a jet off the coast," Gordon said. "That's all we can say scientifically."

Jet airplanes create sonic booms when they break the sound barrier. As a jet rips through the air at supersonic speeds, it emits shock waves that produce a tell-tale bang and rattle buildings.

The Air Force reports it did not have jets flying off the coast this morning, said Steve Bauer, a spokesman at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

After receiving calls about a boom in Southern California, the Federal Aviation Administration said it is searching through flights they monitored Wednesday morning to find the supersonic jet.

"We haven't found anything yet that would explain the sonic boom," said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the administration.

Gregor said they will finish their search Thursday.

Officials at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field had not heard about the possible sonic boom, said Bruce Buckingham, the center's chief public affairs officer.
Source: www.santacruzsentinel.com - Link

Updated: SANTA CRUZ - Even though Central Coast residents felt rattled Wednesday morning, the source of the shaking was not under their feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At 9:15 a.m., USGS sensors detected ground movement, but the signals did not resemble an earthquake, said Leslie Gordon, a spokeswoman for the USGS.

Black Air Force project or Navy weapons test probably source of pressure waves rattling nerves in Southern California.

A mysterious strange rattling, shaking, and quaking in a huge area of Orange County during the evening of March 3rd caused numerous call to 911, reporting doors and windows rattling, this was not a USGS recorded earthquake or a sonic boom, and the cause is still officially unknown.

Many people reporting two distinct pressure waves - Some people have described it as "like the pressure changed in the room". "The glass doors in the back of the house facing south, were pulsating like i had a chopper hovering in the backyard".

Last night’s phenomenon would probably best be explained by a an acoustic shock wave. The frequency was too low for humans to hear probably less than 20 Hz.

Windows shook, nerves were rattled, dogs barked and everyone thought, maybe, we were getting ready for the big one. More than 70 calls were logged into 911 by frightened folks thinking someone was breaking into their homes.

Many Police departments left chasing false intruder and alarm calls.
79 emergency phone call to Huntington Beach 911 at 9:15 - Citizens thinking someone was breaking into their homes. - Someone is coming in my window, someone tapping on my window, my door knob is being turned, Windows, Doors shaking and all dogs barking in neighborhood, Sounded like someone hammered on my front door..
Google Map of locations reporting Quake, Boom, Noise, Rattle event - Link

View Larger MapReporting cities: Anaheim, Azusa, Balboa, Bellflower, Brea, Camp Pendleton, Chino Hills, , Costa Mesa, Cypress, Disneyland, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Idylwild, Irvine, Lake Forest, La Habra , La Mirada, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Beach, Long Laguna Niguel, Beach, Mission Veijo, Newport Beach, Placetina, Santa Ana, San Clemente, Santiago Canyon, San Juan Capistrano, Tustin, Temecula, Garden Grove.
Some reported times
Huntington Beach - windows rattled at 9:18PM…
Mission Viejo - quakes at 9:21 and 9:24