Unsolved Sonic Boom Puzzle Along the Mediterranean Shore
Off the Mediterranean shoreline, an enigmatic sonic boom stirred up bewilderment. This unexpected thunder, resonating on a Thursday in Tuscany and the French isle of Corsica, was initially perceived by some as an earthquake, but experts suggest it could've been a meteor strike.
The tranquil town of Campo nell'Elba, nestled on the Italian holiday island of Elba, shared on Facebook that a local seismic acoustic event transpired at 16:30 hours, causing a stir among the residents. As per media reports, the sound was clearly audible on Corsica too. Initially, Tuscan regional president Eugenio Giani hypothesized an earthquake, but later recanted his statement since the Italian seismic monitoring station indicated no tremors.
The regional geophysical institute and the University of Florence revealed that, based on their measurements, the event's origins moved at an incredibly rapid speed, surpassing 600 kilometers per second. They speculate that an asteroid penetrating the atmosphere is the most probable explanation, consistent with the data gathered.
Nevertheless, an anonymous worker from the Italian Civil Protection Authority told the daily "Corriere della Sera" that "An impact would've been recorded by seismographs. The most plausible theory still points towards an airplane." According to the newspaper, such occurrences were reported on Elba in 2012, 2016, and 2023. As of yet, the mystery remains unsolved.
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In light of the previous sonic boom incident reported in 2012, 2016, and now 2023, some experts question if the cause could be repetitive aircraft maneuvers, disregarding the meteorite impact hypothesis. Despite the rapid speed and apparent meteorite impact indicators, guesswork and limited data make it possibly challenging to draw a definitive conclusion.
