Strange Sounds: A Sign?
First reported January 13, 2012 · Updated October 28, 2026
January 13, 2012 | Costa Rica
The mysterious boom heard in parts of Costa Rica on January 9, 2012, has prompted speculation about earthquakes, religious prophecies and even signs of an approaching catastrophe. The theories have spread online as the country records another unusual development: Turrialba volcano released ash on January 12, three days after the unexplained sound.
The close timing has led some observers to connect the two events. Scientists, however, have not established a causal link. The records reviewed after the January 9 noise did not identify a corresponding earthquake or volcanic event, even though Turrialba later experienced a documented change in activity.
How a strange sound became an omen
People in communities across the Central Valley described a long, unfamiliar rumbling or metallic noise soon after midnight. Social-media posts rapidly carried those accounts beyond Costa Rica, where they were compared with recordings of other noises said to have been heard around the world.
A number of online interpretations drew on religious imagery, including trumpet-like sounds associated with apocalyptic writing. Others referred to unidentified aircraft or astronomical claims. These were interpretations circulating among internet users, not independently established descriptions of the event’s cause.
The most immediate conventional explanation remained fireworks associated with the final night of the Zapote festivities. Their timing coincided with the first reports, although the explanation had not been conclusively demonstrated.
For the initial accounts, see Strange Sound Heard Throughout Costa Rica and Strange Costa Rica Sound – EXPLAINED?.
What happened at Turrialba
On January 12, a new vent opened near Turrialba’s western crater and emitted ash. Observers reported a high-temperature gas jet and related activity. OVSICORI studied the event, and the Smithsonian Institution later summarized its findings in the Global Volcanism Program.
The volcanic event was real, but its mechanism differed from some of the alarming interpretations posted online. Scientific reports described localized vent activity and the release of accumulated gas. They did not present the January 9 nationwide rumble as evidence of a looming regional eruption.
Turrialba was not a volcano that had simply awakened from complete inactivity after more than a century. Its monitored unrest predated 2012, including the opening of a vent and ash emission in January 2010. That longer history matters when evaluating claims that two nearby dates must be part of a single extraordinary event.
What happened next
The Smithsonian’s account of the January 12 activity noted that OVSICORI’s review found no relevant seismic or volcanic signal when the January 9 sound was reported. A separate, documented vent event began three days later. Both facts can be true without the events having the same cause.
Questions and answers
Did Turrialba release ash in January 2012? Yes, on January 12.
Did scientists connect the January 9 sound to that eruption? No causal connection was established in the sources reviewed.
Were claims about prophecy or the end of the world verified? No. They were speculative interpretations, not scientific findings.