Many people in Peterborough and surrounding areas reporting feeling a loud boom on Christmas morning—around 2 a.m in the Peterborough area. It was enough to jolt many from their sleep, get up and look around the house—and on the roof!
One explanation was that it was Santa landing, others wondered whether it was a meteor—but the most plausible explanation was that it was a cryoseism, also known as a "frost quake," according to Global News. Cyroseisms, Global reports, "are rare, localized seismic events that occur when a sudden drop in temperature freezes the groundwater, which then expands and cracks the soil and rock. The crack will release a sudden burst of explosive energy, resulting in a loud noise and shaking."
The boom was felt at different times—11 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Toronto, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill and Sutton, but around 2 a.m. in Peterborough, and at other times in other areas.
Comment below if you heard it.