Occasionally, I have felt my entire house just shudder for a second and then stop. And NO, I don't believe that it is an earthquake or tremor since I live in NYC. There are no major construction sites around and some of the events occur at night.
And no, there is no subway/metro construction. I have asked other people who live nearby via AIM during one occurrence and they reported no shaking.
And I am not going crazy b/c this has been confirmed by other household members.
>Does anyone have an explanation for this?
2007-04-14 16:37:50 · 10 answers · asked by rctfan8 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
One possible reason is due to the expansion and contraction of various structural elements in your house due to temperature changes. The primary cause of these occurrences would be the weather conditions outside the house that cause portions of the house to expand in heat and contract in cooler temperatures. It can also be caused by temperature variations within the house (say, using a fireplace or running the heater or air conditioner). Different materials have different rates of expansion and contraction, so their small motions relative to each other will often cause creaking noises or short, sharp vibrations. They're especially noticeable late in the evening when everything is quiet.
2007-04-14 16:49:29 · answer #1 · answered by teeyore 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Seeing this makes me feel a lot better--I moved into a new apartment this year and occasionally as I am falling asleep (I think I probably only notice it when I am lying down) I feel the house shake and shudder for a few seconds.
It quite literally nearly scared the **** out of me the first time it happenned. My guess is, by looking at the answers above, either it's due to the old weird materials the house is made of or wind. Thanks for asking and making me feel less crazy!
2007-04-15 12:30:35 · answer #2 · answered by kiddo 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Resonance.... Sometimes when a truck passes a building, sounds from the truck can cause a building to vibrate. There is also the fact the when a heavy truck passes at a certain speed the sound of it is resonated through the ground, also causing a building to vibrate.
2007-04-20 11:25:06 · answer #3 · answered by p2ponly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pl. check if it is not due to sonic boom besides reasons given by other members else the natural frequency of ur house must be matching with any nearby strong vibrations resulting in resonance. thnks
2007-04-14 17:25:59 · answer #4 · answered by mandira_nk 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It could be wind. Occasionally strong winds will face a lot of resistance when it hits a building and the infrastructure of that building will respond to it, often resulting in mild shaking. I've felt it in my house.
2007-04-14 16:45:47 · answer #5 · answered by bluekornfarmer 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Haven't thought about it
2016-07-28 23:27:13 · answer #6 · answered by Laverne 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
so what's the question, precisely? you're a sufferer, of an earthquake that hit on the instant... Did you sense it? ******** EDIT ********* via the way... this is spelled "YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia", in simple terms in case you're thinking.
2016-11-24 19:16:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is possible, although I am not 100% certain
2016-09-21 00:20:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, but I won't describe what goes on between me and my wife.
2007-04-14 16:45:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
very interesting question
2016-08-23 23:40:30 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋