‘Earthquake, sonic boom, or explosion?’ Mystery rumble jolts California city
A loud “boom” shook San Diego County near the border with Mexico on Tuesday night, sparking a burst of speculation online.
“San Diego is fun because we have impromptu games of ‘what just shook the building?’“ read one Twitter post. “Earthquake, sonic boom, or explosion?”
Residents from Coronado to Chula Vista and Vista reported hearing a loud booming noise just before 8:30 p.m., KGTV reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey did not report any earthquakes in the vicinity at that time.
A spokesman for nearby Camp Pendleton told KGTV that training exercises involving mortars and artillery fire are ongoing, which could be an explanation.
But golfer Phil Mickelson offered a different explanation.
“My bad. I was testing a few drivers,” Mickelson wrote on Twitter.
Mayor Todd Gloria wrote on Twitter that he heard the boom but also had no explanation, taking advantage of the chance to promote COVID-19 vaccinations.
The boom left plenty of San Diego-area residents scratching their heads.
“Did anybody else in San Diego feel a boom?” wrote one person on Twitter. “There was just a really big thud at my building and nobody can figure out what the heck it was. Don’t think it was an earthquake.”
“I’ve felt earthquakes before here in San Diego, but this boom didn’t feel like an earthquake,” read one Twitter post.
“Have lived in San Diego for two weeks and there was a loud boom that the whole city heard but it wasn’t an earthquake but literally no one knows what it was???????????” read another Twitter post. “I love it. California dreamin babyyyyyy.”
Some Twitter posters had a more otherworldly explanation.
“Anyone else in San Diego feel that boom just now?” one person wrote on Twitter. “They’ve been happening a lot, this is like the sixth one this year. Sounds like thunder, and shakes the floor and rattles the windows. On a totally unrelated subject, we’ve also been seeing a lot of UFO’s in San Diego lately…”
“Another mystery boom in San Diego. Last one was in March. I wonder what they’re up to?” someone else posted on Twitter, with an alien emoji.
“Can one of the spooky youtube channels investigate the san diego boom phenomenon?” implored one Twitter post.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 8:18 AM with the headline "‘Earthquake, sonic boom, or explosion?’ Mystery rumble jolts California city."