Meteor Strike Causes Earthquake in Michigan

Residents heard what sounded like thunder
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 17, 2018 3:26 AM CST
Updated Jan 17, 2018 6:27 AM CST
Michigan Meteor Causes Earthquake
This USGS map shows the location of the 2.0 earthquake.   (USGS)

A bright light and what sounded like thunder in the sky across the Detroit metropolitan area Tuesday night was a meteor, the National Weather Service has confirmed. NWS Detroit tweeted that according to the United States Geological Service, the meteor caused a magnitude 2.0 earthquake around 8:10pm. Meteorologist Jordan Dale says that after receiving dozens of reports and videos from an area stretching from Flint to Toledo, the NWS determined that the "rare occurrence" was "not thunder or lightning or weather-related," the AP reports. Some residents reported their homes shaking.

The American Meteor Society says the strike, captured in this dashcam video, was visible in six states and in Canada, ABC reports. The USGS says the quake was 5 miles west-southwest of the Michigan town of New Haven, around 40 miles north of Detroit. "In Livonia I saw a big flash in the northwestern sky above my house. I thought maybe I've been watching too much sci-fi on Netflix," said Facebook user Claire Ceresnie, per the Detroit Free Press.

(More meteor stories.)

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