[meteorite-list] Mysterious Flash, Rumbling in Australia

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Feb 2 19:33:26 2005
Message-ID: <200502030024.QAA12728_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.geelonginfo.com.au/readarticle.asp?articleid=14605

Experts baffled over what went boom in the night
DANIEL FOGARTY
Geelong Info (Australia)
February 3, 2005

A RUMBLING that woke people from Geelong to Frankston remains a mystery
with experts not feeling a thing.

Residents in St Albans Park, Corio, Queenscliff and Torquay were among
those woken by the rumblings about 3am yesterday morning.

Geoscience Australia, the national body which measures earthquakes, said
there was no evidence of an earth tremor.

Joan Ryan from Corio was lying awake in bed when the rumbling occurred.

She first saw a flash and then felt rumbling.

``I have never heard thunder rumble like that before - just one
continous rumble,'' Ms Ryan said.

``I am more or less certain it was thunder and lightning - I don't think
it was anything more than that. ``I am in my 70s and I have never, ever
heard a rumble like it.''

Dorothy Cook of St Albans Park said the rumbling went for a long time.

``It just went on and on,'' Ms Cook said.

``I saw a flash of lightning then this noise started.

``I started to get a bit worried.''

Mystified experts said it was possible a sonic boom caused the shaking.

A Geoscience Australia spokesman said it appeared something had occurred
but no one was sure what.

``There's no doubt something's happened,'' he said.

The spokesman said so far there were no seismic readings showing a
tremor, but experts would continue to monitor the readings.

He said a small localised tremor may have occurred, spanning about 20 km
and measuring no more than roughly 1.3 in magnitude.
Received on Wed 02 Feb 2005 07:24:45 PM PST