Iceland is preparing for an iminent volcanic eruption that poses a threat to an entire town, emitting hazardous fumes and causing widespread disruption. Evacuations and a state of emergency have been declared as seismic activity increases around the Fagradalsfjall volcano, anticipated to erupt soon.
An app converting seismic frequencies into audible pitches allows the public to hear the unsettling sounds associated with this heightened activity. The southwestern Reykjanes Peninsula has experienced intense seismic activity in recent weeks, marked by thousands of earthquakes, prompting experts to caution about the imminent possibility of a volcanic eruption.
Earthtunes App Lets the Public Listen to Seismic Activity
Seismologists at Northwestern University are utilizing the Earthtunes app to interpret seismic data from the Global Seismographic Network station on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula.
Co-developed by Suzan van der Lee, the app transforms earthquake data into audible sounds, resembling slamming doors or hail on a window. The heightened seismic activity around Fagradalsfjall prompted evacuations in Grindavik and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.
Researchers describe the earthquake sounds as similar to doors slamming, hail pelting, or trays of ice cubes cracking. Van der Lee emphasizes the formidable and alarming nature of the seismic activity. The evacuation of Grindavik and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, one of the world's oldest, was deemed a prudent move.
Audio clips from 24 hours of seismic activity on November 10-11 reveal heightened earthquakes near Fagradalsfjall. Seismologist Van der Lee attributes most quakes to magma intrusion in the Fagradallsfjall-Svartsengi-Grindavik area, akin to patterns preceding the 2021-2023 eruptions.
About 4,000 Grindavik residents near the Fagradalsfjall volcano evacuate due to the threat of "fire fountains" and toxic gases. Steam rises from significant land cracks, a result of subterranean magma movement. Van der Lee compares the imminent explosion to the 1973 Heimaey eruption in Iceland's Vestmannaeyjar archipelago.
While the level of danger is unprecedented for this region of Iceland, it harks back to the collective memory of the 1973 Vestmannaeyjar eruption. Residents in Grindavik, facing potential loss of jobs, homes, and possessions, echo the vulnerability felt by those in Heimaey.
However, the experience of the Vestmannaeyjar eruption has contributed to the preparedness of Icelanders for the current situation in the Fagradallsfjall-Svartsengi-Grindavik area.
Growing Interest in Sonification
The emerging field of sonifying scientific data finds diverse applications across various disciplines. Take the LHCSound project, which compiled a sound library representing particles like the top quark jet and the Higgs boson. This initiative aims to use sonification as a novel method for audibly analyzing particle collision data, allowing physicists to discern subatomic particles through sound.
In a different domain, scientists have translated the molecular structure of proteins in spider silk threads into musical theory, creating the "sound" of silk as a potential avenue for designing proteins. Moreover, the Amino Acid Synthesizer app on Android empowers users to craft personalized protein "compositions" using the sounds of amino acids.
Scientists extend sonification beyond the microscopic, converting a black hole's X-ray echo and Martian sunrise data into sound. Compositions based on particle physics and stars' "twinkle" now influence seismologists, embracing sonification in their methodologies.
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