Watch an earthquake-triggering meteor blaze over Detroit

A meteor blazed over the Detroit area Tuesday night
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Mike Austin)

Residents of Detroit and elsewhere in southeast Michigan saw a bright flash at about 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by an earth-shaking boom, and meteorologists pretty quickly said thunder and lightning weren't to blame. People who got a good look at the bright light arcing across the night sky would have likely already ruled out lightning. A Michigander named Mike Austin posted this dash-cam recording of what the U.S. Geological Survey eventually confirmed to be a meteor that caused a magnitude 2.0 earthquake.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.