Wisconsin town haunted by booms traces noise to small quakes

Geologists said small earthquakes may explain the mysterious booms, bangs and rumblings rattling residents of Clintonville, Wisconsin, who have flooded local police with hundreds of calls since early Monday. The loud bangs, shaking or rumbling noises touched off a broad investigation by the town 40 miles West of Green Bay into possible causes such as someone setting off explosives, issues with the sewers, or explosions at a local landfill, city officials said. Then the U.S. Geological Survey offered a possible explanation: a small earthquake registering magnitude 1.5 on the Richter scale was recorded at about 12:15 a.m. local time Tuesday morning.