Shaking homes, rattling windows and ground tremors were felt following an 'earthquake' that experts later said was a 'sonic event'.
The British Geological Society said it initially received reports of a suspected earthquake at around 3.50pm on Wednesday (November 17).
But following analysis, seismologists determined it to have been the result of a sound as opposed to movements in the ground.
Reports of the 'earthquake' came in from York and around North Yorkshire and parts of Lincolnshire.
One resident, Dr Amy-Jane Beer, tweeted: “Felt in the air and all through our bodies near Castle Howard.
“Kids froze, dog ran for her life. Former now thrilled, latter hiding under my bed.”
A councillor from Whitby said he could “see the windows vibrating”.
“The house shook, I could see the windows vibrating… It sounded like something really heavy falling over in the house next door,” Phillip Trumper told the PA news agency.
“I suppose it (could) have been a sonic boom,” the 48-year-old added.
On Twitter, BGS said: “BGS have received a number of reports from residents in North Yorkshire who reported an event at approximately 15:50 UTC today.
“Reports described ‘house shook and conservatory creaked’, ‘a low rumble ending in a thud’, ‘windows rattled’ and ‘felt the ground tremble’.
“Data from the BGS seismic networks in the region were examined and signals consistent with a possible sonic origin were recorded between 15:47:42s and 15:49:23s UTC on several stations, on the BGS seismic network, in North Yorkshire.
“The reports received are also consistent with historical observations received for previous events with a sonic origin.”
The origin of the phenomenon is currently unknown and BGS said it was unable to comment on sonic events.
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