The ground beneath Lake Michigan just unleashed a massive 8.8 magnitude tremor, and scientists say something profound is shifting far below the surface. Seismographs near the region captured readings that immediately triggered alarms, as the quake’s depth and force defied normal expectations for the area.
In 2022, a team of researchers mapping the floor of Lake Michigan with sonar detected a series of large, circular depressions at a depth of roughly 500 feet. The features, which number in the dozens, range from 300 to 600 feet in width and reach depths of about 40 feet. Their near-perfect circular shape and alignment initially puzzled the scientists, who could not identify a natural process that w…