Detonations from Tooele Army Depot are the cause of those explosions and rumblings that people across the Salt Lake Valley heard and felt Thursday afternoon, according to a depot spokesperson.
Fourteen detonations were set off at Tooele Army Depot, said Wade Mathews, the depot’s public affairs officer. The material was propellant, being disposed of from old ammunition as part of the depot’s “demilitarization,” Mathews said.
“It’s a clean process, better than burning it,” Mathews said. “There’s less residue behind.” The residue doesn’t leave the depot’s grounds, he added.
There is “no threat,” Salt Lake County’s emergency management office reported on its X account Thursday, at about 12:41 p.m.
“The army depot conducts detonations typically from September through the end of October each year,” the agency added. “Depending on the weather, the sound and vibrations can carry quite far.”
The Tooele Army Depot is roughly 30 miles southwest of Salt Lake City — as the boom flies.
People posted to social media on Thursday afternoon about hearing explosions, and even seeing their windows rattle.
According to Fox 13, the clear weather likely allowed the sound to travel farther than usual, Fox 13 reported.
A spokesperson for the Utah National Guard said it was not conducting any training today at Camp Williams — where some on social media speculated could be the source of the noises.
