SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The term "exploding trees" has been making its rounds on social media.
It stems from a viral video, claiming extreme cold conditions in the Midwest could put at risk of trees bursting, but not everything on the internet is true.
The phenomenon of exploding trees is actually called a frost quake.
A frost quake occurs when excess liquid water seeps into the soil and dirt over several days and then freezes underground, expanding the ground beneath us. The expansion forces the surface to shudder, shake and rock similarly to an earthquake.
Sometimes, depending on the location of a frost quake, the liquid water or sap from trees can freeze and expand as well, causing the trunk or branches to splinter. The combined force from the ice expanding the ground and trees past their limits can cause loud booms due to the trees snapping or the ground cracking.