Mystery Boom in San Diego County April 4

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a mysterious boom heard in San Diego County on April 4, with participants exploring potential explanations for the phenomenon. The scope includes scientific reasoning, speculative hypotheses, and references to related events.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that scientists have ruled out an earthquake as the cause of the boom.
  • Others mention that the Federal Aviation Administration has no records of sonic booms from aircraft in the area at that time.
  • Camp Pendleton officials assert that no activities on the Marine base could have caused the disturbance.
  • One participant suggests that high altitude wind direction differences could create friction leading to a charge release, potentially resulting in a sound without a visible discharge.
  • Another participant references scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography who propose that the disturbance originated from a sound wave over the ocean, possibly linked to military training exercises in the vicinity.
  • A participant speculates that the boom could be due to an explosion not publicly acknowledged or a meteor entering the atmosphere.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses regarding the cause of the boom, with no consensus reached on a definitive explanation. Multiple competing views remain, highlighting uncertainty about the event's origin.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of definitive evidence for any proposed explanations and the reliance on unverified data regarding military activities and atmospheric conditions.

Ivan Seeking
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Something of the sort happened in San Diego County shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, and so far no one has come forward with an explanation.

...Scientists insist it wasn't an earthquake. The Federal Aviation Administration has no record of any planes producing a sonic boom by breaking the sound barrier.

Camp Pendleton officials say no activities on the Marine base could have created such a disturbance. There were no large explosions in San Diego County that day, and no meteor fireballs were reported in the sky that morning.

What was it, then?[continued]
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060423-9999-1n23bigboom.html
 
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Just a thought, high altitude wind direction is quite often different from lower
altitude wind direction, could some sort of friction between these winds
build up a charge that is given of as a (sprite) so one would here a boom
but see no discharge ?
 
...The scientists, based at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, say the disturbance was caused by a sound wave that started over the ocean and petered out over the Imperial County desert. Using data from more than two dozen seismometers, they traced its likely origin to a spot roughly 120 miles off the San Diego coast.

Tracking the boom
That spot is in the general vicinity of Warning Area 291, a huge swath of ocean used for military training exercises. The Navy operates a live-fire range on San Clemente Island, which is within Warning Area 291 and sits about 65 miles from Mission Bay.

...“I would guess it's either an explosion that somebody hasn't told us about or it could have been a meteor coming into the atmosphere,” he said. “But it was certainly a big disturbance in the atmosphere.” [continued]
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060427-9999-1n27boom.html
 
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