A cryoseism, also known as an ice quake or a frost quake, is a seismic event that may be caused by a sudden cracking action in frozen soil or rock saturated with water or ice. As water drains into the ground, it may eventually freeze and expand under colder temperatures, putting stress on its surroundings. This stress builds up until relieved explosively in the form of a cryoseism. Speculation has been made between global warming and the frequency of cryoseisms. Although cryoseisms release less energy than most tectonic events, they can still cause damage or significant changes to an affected area. Read more ...

Icequakes in Antarctica linked to ocean tides   PhysOrg - August 28, 2023

When the ground rumbles in Antarctica, it may be an icequake - like an earthquake but caused by the movement of ice, not rock. A new study by Penn State researchers found that these seismic events are driven by ocean tides at a major ice stream in West Antarctica.

Scientists Pin Down Cause of Mysterious 'Icequakes' Shaking Antarctica   Live Science - March 5, 2019
For part of the summer in parts of Antarctica, the ice melts into a swampy, slushy stew and refreezes as the temperatures rise and fall. As it melts, it generates hundreds of thousands of tiny little "icequakes." Now, scientists have captured the daily pattern of these miniature tremors using the same kind of seismographs used to detect earthquakes. They find that the icequakes are caused by the sudden snap of frozen films of ice covering pools of slush.

'Frost quakes' may be hitting Chicago as temperature drops to record-breaking lows   CNN - January 31, 2019
The winter weather isn't done with Chicago; now there is talk of frost quakes. Wednesday people in the Chicago area were awakened by a series of booms. A frost quake occurs when the water underground freezes and expands causing the soil and rock to crack. That booming or banging sound usually begins when there is a sudden drop in temperature.