The city of Alhambra, California has become the latest location to fall victim to the puzzling 'mystery boom' phenomenon which has been reported around the world.
The unnerving sounds seem to have begun back in February and are said to be louder than a gunshot but leave no clue as to their origin.
"It's frightening," Alhambra resident Susan Saunders told the Pasadena Star News, "We never know when it's going to happen or where it's coming from."
Authorities in Alhambra are also baffled by the booms, having received an astounding 114 reports of the phenomenon over the last five months.
Attempts to establish some kind of pattern from the reports have yielded little insight into their source and other avenues of investigation have also failed to provide any clues.
A seismologist at Caltech even looked into the mystery and found no sign of any activity which would explain the sounds.
Despite their maddening nature, the booms have produced an ironic sense of kinship among Alhambra residents that are hearing the sounds.
And, although they are assuredly off-putting, the booms have yet to inflict the kind of suffering we've seen in other communities plagued by mystery sounds.
For now, they appear to be more the source of bewilderment rather than angst.
"It’s interesting to wonder how long this will remain a mystery," Saunders told the newspaper, "we're all eagerly waiting to find out."
Should the sounds continue well into the future, we suspect the city's sense of wonderment will give way to overwhelming aggravation before too long.
Coast Insiders interested in learning more about the emerging 'mystery boom' phenomenon can check out investigative reporter Linda Moulton Howe's appearance on the 4/25/2013 edition of the program.
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Source: Pasadena Star News