Mystery Solved: Marine Corps Claim Responsibility for 'Skyquakes' That Rocked San Diego

 On Tuesday evening, a mysterious sonic boom shook parts of Mexico and California, making it the third time since February residents have witnessed an incident that many are calling a 'skyquake.'

(Photo : Getty Images)

The Sonic Boom

Officials are not sure what lead to the loud sound, but flight tracking data revealed an unknown plane journeying at supersonic speeds off the coast of San Diego County about 8:20pm PST - minutes before the skyquake was heard.

Flight tracking data captured an aircraft flying at altitudes between 20,000 and 25,000 feet that got to a recorded speed of 1,112mph or 967 knots. The sonic boom was very loud it rattled many people's homes, frightened pets and sparked worries of an earthquake among those inhabiting within 17 miles of San Diego County.

The incident was reported by people living as far south as Tijuana and as far east as El Cajon in Mexico, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. In the US, reports came from San Diego neighborhoods in the southeast and coastal regions, as well Linda Vista, Tierrasanta, and Clairemont.

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Clues of What Caused the Loud Noise

The past incident shook the region on March 10 at about  4:55pm PST, which hit Chula Vista and Rancho Bernardo in California and again in El Cajon. Following Tuesday's event, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria relayed an announcement through Twitter that may have been an attempt to calm residents down, but it seemed to have a reversed effect.  

"Yes, I heard it. Now, I don't know what it was. I'll share if I receive any information. Get vaccinated if you haven't yet,"  Gloria wrote. One Twitter user, 'Politically Stripped,' called the mayor out, saying San Diego has been hit three times with strange booms and nobody has any answers.

"The vaccines discontinue the spread of Booms," Twitter account SD Sports Curse replied. The only hint of what led to the loud noise were captured by online flight tracking websites.

(Photo : Getty Images)

The Unidentified Plane

ADS-B Exchange highlighted an unknown aircraft flying close to the shore line, which seems to be the only understandable answer to the bizarre sonic boom, the Drive reports.

A resident of Newport Beach, Rick Kane, speculated the unknown craft was an F-15. Kane tweeted: "I'm guessing an F-15 from the 422nd TES was accountable for these booms. Maybe the navy was testing an irst pod or targeting radar."

San Diego County is encircled by a number of naval bases and tweets 'Warship Cam' shared, which reveal that the Nimitz class carrier USS Carl Vinson was operating in the region on the day the boom was heard. On June 7, the massive war ship left the Naval Base Coronado and came back on June 9. 

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