«Singing stones»: a phenomenon that you can listen to

To begin with, the boulders are a fragment of rock in the form of a large stone. If we throw a pebble into a field strewn with boulders, some of the stones will make the usual clanking sound, similar to what we hear when hitting a stone on a stone. But if we throw the pebble again and again, there is a high probability of hearing a more unexpected sound, as if the pebble suddenly hit the bottom of an aluminum jar and echoed.

In ancient times, singing boulders were presented to people as supernatural, frightening, stones were worshipped and feared their wrath. Today, many boulder phenomena have been studied, but often their nature still remains a mystery.

Before we try to explain the essence of the phenomenon of "singing stones", we suggest you carefully watch the video and listen to the difference in sounds.

So, all the "ringing" boulders are of volcanic origin. Interestingly, our ears perceive only a small fraction of the sound that is emitted by these stones. In fact, the "singing" occurs either at too high or too low frequencies that we do not catch. The main reason for the "aluminum sound" lies in the high iron content (from 10 to 15%). But the ringing that we hear is not the sound of metal, but a consequence of internal tension.

Experiment:

Scientists compared the sound of ordinary stones with "singing". Measuring instruments showed that the internal structure of the "singing stones" at the time of the "singing" was on the verge of destruction.

But this is not the only explanation for the multitude of sounds that stones produce.

For example, in 1972, on the Kolgostrov on Lake Onega, scientists discovered a boulder that emitted a prolonged ringing when struck. According to legend, this stone had the magical power of healing. During the expedition, the researchers managed to find a crack, which probably caused the ringing, and traces of ceramics at least 4 thousand years old were found in the crack itself.

Today, the most famous singing boulders in Russia are in Karelia.

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