Breathing Earth 
In this clip we hear a swarm of Indonesian earthquakes as recorded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (left channel) and Tennant Creek, Australia (right). The recording has been speeded up by 245 times.
Many of these quakes are large enough to set the planet “ringing” in its natural modes of vibration. One the most fundamental of these modes is the so-called “breathing” mode (0S0), in which the entire planet expands and contracts rhythmically once about every 20 minutes. I’ve speeded up the recording to bring this “breathing” mode in synch with the average human respiration rate (once every 5 seconds). So, as you listen to these sounds of the Earth, know that your breath rises and falls, along with the rising and falling of the Earth itself.
As heard on
All Things Considered
- Hearing Earth: Rumblings of a Complex Planet : an NPR SoundClip based on sounds from the Deep Earth Dome (aired on “All Things Considered” on 061212).
- Letters: Personal Finance, and Mushrooms : Listener Kurt Alred of Hancock, Michigan, offers his reflections on these sounds of the Earth. (Starts at 03:16; aired on “All Things Considered” on 061214). Thanks, Kurt.
Technical note
strange! Yes, strange and amazing are the words…some words…I can`t tell my feelings but I`m sure that they are close to our first experiences, I mean in our mothers belly…could be! see ya mate!
Do you happen to know the lat/lon/date of these specific earthquake recordings? I’m just curious because most of Indonesia is nearer Australia, although the stronger seismic events seem to be “heard” first, on the left channel, in Saudi Arabia; followed by the right in Australia. Or have the channels been switched? This is a very cool recording that I’d like to share with my Earth Science class. Thanks for posting it
…or maybe my channels are flipped (oops)! Is my Mac wired backward? I played the file on another computer and the arrival times match your L/R specs. Thanks.
Richard: I believe the channels are correctly oriented. The recording is of a series of aftershocks of the great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of Dec 26, 2004, whose main epicenter was at lat 3.3°N, lon 96.0°E. This was a huge earthquake, with aftershocks spread out over a large area of the 1600km-long fault zone.
The recording begins a few hours after the main event. Left channel: station RAYN, near Ar Rayn, Saudi Arabia (23.53°N, 45.50°E; epicentral distance Δ=5868km). Right channel: station WRAB, near Tennant Creek, Australia (19.93°S, 134.36°E, Δ=4917km).
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the specifics and the L/R confirmation. Seems I must check the sound configuration on my Mac.