Rattled & Stirred: Strange Noises and Rumblings Shake Wisconsin Town

Something is rattling the citizens of a small, Wisconsin town, and it isn't only gas prices and the horrifying economy!

Bizarre noises, rumblings, shaking and loud explosions have been haunting the small town of Clintonville, about 180 miles north of the capital city of Madison. The odd shaking and sounds started early Sunday evening and have continued to be reported, off and on, throughout the night and into today as well.

The strange noises have been described by the locals as sounding like someone clanging on pipes with a sledgehammer, a constant low and deep thunder or a large amount of firecrackers being set off simultaneously. Accompanying the noises are seismic-like shaking and rumbling of the ground, although no seismic activity has been recorded in the area by the United States Geological Survey.

The sounds were so loud on Monday morning, that a reporter for CNN could hear them while interviewing town manager Linda Cuss via telephone. The strange phenomenon has not caused any significant damage or any reported injuries in the tiny, bedroom community, which boasts a population of around 4,600.


One possible explanation is methane gas escaping from underground rock formations. Another is a rock burst, which can happen when mining or quarrying uncovers long-buried rock, suddenly relieving stress and resulting in loud explosive sounds being reported. The reports follow similar odd noises and rattlings being heard in other locations throughout the US in recent months, including North Carolina, Idaho, and Tennessee.

And the 1st Angel Sounded the Trumpet: Bizarre Sounds Heard Around the World

Reports of loud, strange noises being heard continue from all around the globe. Reports of the unusually loud, metallic sound have pored in from such disparate locations as Alberta, Canada, Poland, Costa Rica, Mexico and the UK, as well as various locations throughout the United States. The reports have particularly grown over the past week. Local media where the sounds are occurring is covering the events, but it has yet to catch on with the national media. The latest report of the loud, bizarre noise comes out of Saskatoon, Canada from just the past twelve hours.


First reports of the odd, trumpet-like sound came out of the Ukraine last summer. Earlier last winter, a strange, loud roar accompanied by shaking ground was observed in Florida, which was never fully explained:

Speculation as to what is causing the odd noise has exploded across the Internet, with people guessing that it is anything from aliens trying to make First Contact with humans, to the Large Hadron Collider (CERN)  in Switzerland creating a tear in our earthly dimension. Others believe the sound to be tectonic plates grinding from beneath the planet, with others guessing it is underground construction of bunkers to store people, food and supplies in the event of a cataclysm.