Mystery boom in York, PA
© York Daily Record
Don Vitale had just walked into his house Tuesday evening when he heard a boom that sounded like a thunderstorm in the distance.

Then, a few minutes later, he heard a louder boom, and a pan on the stove rattled.

Vitale, who moved into his Carroll Township home about six years ago, wondered what it was. Then a neighbor called him: "Did you hear that?" Vitale said that he did.

"That's an earthquake," the neighbor told him.

It's been 10 years since an earthquake swarm rattled the Dillsburg area of northern York County. It started with a 2.0 tremor on Oct. 5, 2008, and the booming and rattling occurred periodically until early 2010. The tremors were centered in an area along Old York Road and Brandon Lane in Carroll Township.

The rattling unnerved some residents. Dr. Charles Scharnberger, a retired Millersville University earth sciences professor, and local geologist Jeri Jones met with them to discuss the tremors.

Scientists with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory placed portable seismographs in the Dillsburg area and recorded the seismic activity between Oct. 24 and Dec. 11, 2008. The study showed that it's likely stress between two contrasting types of rock that's causing them to fracture.

Local geologist Jeri Jones said he hasn't received reports about booms and shaking in Carroll Township for years.

Then, this week residents contacted him about hearing two booms with some minor shaking. It happened around 5 p.m. Tuesday, and the booms were about 5 to 10 minutes apart.

It wasn't strong enough to register on a seismograph at Millersville University in Lancaster County, Jones said. That's one of the closest ones to the Dillsburg area.

Jones said he wants residents to keep him informed of anything that happens.

Bob Stoner of Carroll Township said his stepson heard two or three loud booms on Tuesday evening. It had been quiet for years.

"It just hit yesterday again," he said Wednesday night.

The family thought they were done with tremors.

"We don't want to deal with earthquakes," he said, adding that they have enough to worry about.