For centuries, scientists have been puzzled by the mysterious phenomenon known as “Seneca’s Gun”, a loud boom emanating from New York’s Seneca Lake.

Records of loud explosions heard on Seneca Lake date back to the 17th century, but they had become the subject of myth and folklore long before that. The Seneca people, a Native American tribe that lived around the lake, believed the booms to be the voice of a god angry at the warriors who had defiled their sacred hunting grounds, while early pioneers believed them to be drums being played by the spirits of soldiers who lost their lives in the War for Independence. It wasn’t until the 20th century that scientific hypotheses started emerging, but none of them were confirmed until 2025, when a team of researchers using advanced equipment mapped the bottom of Seneca Lake.