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Earth's Hum Sounds More Mysterious Than Ever
LiveScience.com on Yahoo ^ | 4/16/08 | Charles Q. Choi

Posted on 04/17/2008 11:07:31 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

Earth gives off a relentless hum of countless notes completely imperceptible to the human ear, like a giant, exceptionally quiet symphony, but the origin of this sound remains a mystery.

Now unexpected powerful tunes have been discovered in this hum. These new findings could shed light on the source of this enigma.

The planet emanates a constant rumble far below the limits of human hearing, even when the ground isn't shaking from an earthquake. (It does not cause the ringing in the ear linked with tinnitus.) This sound, first discovered a decade ago, is one that only scientific instruments - seismometers - can detect. Researchers call it Earth's hum.

Investigators suspect this murmur could originate from the churning ocean, or perhaps the roiling atmosphere. To find out more, scientists analyzed readings from an exceptionally quiet Earth-listening research station at the Black Forest Observatory in Germany, with supporting data from Japan and China.

Different types

In the past, the oscillations that researchers found made up this hum were "spheroidal" - they basically involved patches of rock moving up and down, albeit near undetectably.

Now oscillations have been discovered making up the hum that, oddly, are shaped roughly like rings. Imagine, if you will, rumbles that twist in circles in rock across the upper echelons of the planet, almost like dozens of lazy hurricanes.

Scientists had actually expected to find these kinds of oscillations, but these new ring-like waves are surprisingly about as powerful as the spheroidal ones are. The expectation was they would be relatively insignificant.

New thinking

This discovery should force researchers to significantly rethink what causes Earth's hum. While the spheroidal oscillations might be caused by forces squeezing down on the planet - say, pressure from ocean or atmospheric waves - the twisting ring-like phenomena might be caused by forces shearing across the world's surface, from the oceans, atmosphere or possibly even the sun.

Future investigations of this part of the hum will prove challenging, as "this is a very small signal that is hard to measure, and the excitation is probably due to multiple interactions in a complex system," said researcher Rudolf Widmer-Schnidrig, a geoscientist at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Still, a better understanding of this sound will shed light on how the land, sea and air all interact, he added.

Researcher Dieter Kurrle and Widmer-Schnidrig detailed their findings March 20 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; earthshum; globalwarming; hummer; jmarvinherndon; mysterious; sounds
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To: NormsRevenge
It's the Music of the Spheres.


41 posted on 04/17/2008 11:31:14 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: CondorFlight

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation. . .”

Mixing the cement.


42 posted on 04/17/2008 11:33:03 AM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: AmericanHunter

>>It’s the sound of our forefathers spinning in their graves.

LOL
I wonder if their spins change speed according to their dismay?

How fast do they spin when private property is “taken”? Faster or slower than when the gun grabbers crawl out of their holes?


43 posted on 04/17/2008 11:33:26 AM PDT by Taffini (Mr. Pippin and Mr. Waffles do not approve)
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To: NormsRevenge

Things that make you go, “Hmmm ...”


44 posted on 04/17/2008 11:33:34 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (Buy a Mac ...)
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To: RightWhale

“The entire planet is a Helmholtz sphere with its characteristic resonant frequency of about 8 Hz.”

And it’s children, (us), resonate at that very same frequency.

Food, (or vibration) for thought.


45 posted on 04/17/2008 11:36:03 AM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: NormsRevenge; 75thOVI; AFPhys; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aristotleman; ...
This discovery should force researchers to significantly rethink what causes Earth's hum. While the spheroidal oscillations might be caused by forces squeezing down on the planet - say, pressure from ocean or atmospheric waves - the twisting ring-like phenomena might be caused by forces shearing across the world's surface, from the oceans, atmosphere or possibly even the sun.
Gosh, I had no idea that the oceans and atmosphere could "push down". I kinda figured they were just part of the Earth itself. ;') Thanks NormsRevenge, this is pretty fascinating. I'd post a link to J. Marvin Herndon, but I've been foolin' around online too much today. :') Unlike most days (yeah, right).
 
Catastrophism
 
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic ·
 

46 posted on 04/17/2008 11:36:03 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_____________________Profile updated Saturday, March 29, 2008)
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To: Tanniker Smith

probably just this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC9w4KWEgJE&feature=related


47 posted on 04/17/2008 11:45:21 AM PDT by WOBBLY BOB (Conservatives are to McCain what Charlie Brown is to Lucy.)
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To: Brad's Gramma
Well, here is a link to the sound of silence ; )
48 posted on 04/17/2008 11:46:01 AM PDT by ravingnutter
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To: Red Boots
almost like dozens of lazy hurricanes.

I knew it...it is Rove's weather machine. Therefore it follows that it must be Bush's fault!

49 posted on 04/17/2008 11:51:27 AM PDT by ravingnutter
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.

I just went into a dark, quiet closet to listen for it...I sat quietly for almost an hour...I began hearing an extremely soft tune...it was hauntingly familiar...

"I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony..."

.

50 posted on 04/17/2008 11:54:22 AM PDT by polymuser (Those who believe in something eventually prevail over those who believe in nothing.)
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To: martin_fierro; NormsRevenge; Charles Henrickson

It’s the voice of Gaia, pleading with us to stop our destructive behaviors.

(or, She’s just meditating — O...O...O...O...M...M)


51 posted on 04/17/2008 12:02:19 PM PDT by mikrofon (So much hum-bug.)
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To: mikrofon
It’s the voice of Gaia

I thought her name was Dynamo.

52 posted on 04/17/2008 12:05:28 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim (Play that Funky Music Typical White Boy!)
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To: polymuser

You!!!

Go to your room!!!

8-)


53 posted on 04/17/2008 12:08:10 PM PDT by Grammy
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To: NormsRevenge

Luke 19:40 To whom he said: I say to you that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.


54 posted on 04/17/2008 12:09:10 PM PDT by pgyanke ("Huntered"--The act of being ignored by media and party to prevent name recognition)
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To: AmericanHunter

I told a lefty that I had the solution to the energy crisis. Of course he was intrigued.

I said that since congress just passed restrictions on what lightbulbs we could use in our houses,

we could hook up generators to the founders spinning in their graves.

He had to think about it for a bit, then just gave a semi-polite chuckle.


55 posted on 04/17/2008 12:10:44 PM PDT by MrB (You can't reason people out of a position that they didn't use reason to get into in the first place)
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To: NormsRevenge
It's this guy:


56 posted on 04/17/2008 12:13:16 PM PDT by JZelle
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To: MrB

“I told a lefty that I had the solution to the energy crisis. Of course he was intrigued.

I said that since congress just passed restrictions on what lightbulbs we could use in our houses,

we could hook up generators to the founders spinning in their graves.”

That’s pretty good. Are you one of them nuclear brain plumbers?


57 posted on 04/17/2008 12:21:41 PM PDT by AmericanHunter
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To: NormsRevenge
(It does not cause the ringing in the ear linked with tinnitus.)

Well then what the hell does 'cause I can't get rid of mine!

58 posted on 04/17/2008 12:29:44 PM PDT by oldsalt (There's no such thing as a free lunch.)
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To: ravingnutter

Oh YOU are a BRAT! I LOVE that one.......

I’m smart enough tho to ........ (won’t say should someone want to test your system..)

:)


59 posted on 04/17/2008 12:43:08 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma (Vote for my German Shepherds!!!! They're smarter than what's running!!)
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To: Brad's Gramma; ravingnutter

Kind of the electronic version of “This Way to the Egress”... :-)


60 posted on 04/17/2008 1:01:56 PM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (Act Swiftly Awesome Pachyderm!)
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