Minnesota town puzzles over hole in iced-over lake

ATWATER, Minn. (Reuters) - The fire department in this Minnesota town is investigating what caused a sound like a ''sonic boom'' and cracked the ice covering Lake Tadd, officials said Thursday.

Residents of an apartment building next to Lake Tadd, 40 miles West of Minneapolis, said they were awoken before dawn Sunday by a sound like a ``sonic boom,'' but waited until Tuesday to call authorities.

They waited to report the incident because ``they were afraid all their friends would think they were loony,'' city clerk Goldie Smith told Reuters.

Authorities said the hole was roughly 4 feet in diameter at the entry point and surrounded by a starburst pattern, which Smith described as ``pretty cool.'' The object may have been hot, melting through the ice in a funnel shape.

The hole has since frozen over.

The fire department is going to wade in Saturday afternoon to find out if anything crashed into the lake.

Whatever it is -- speculation is that it was a fair-sized meteorite -- several of Atwater's 1,100 residents have gotten their share of media exposure at a time of year when excitement is scarce.

``It is a nice break from the cold and snow,'' said Smith. ''It's winter; we'll take anything.''