Kazakhstan
Sand Origin
Esentai river in Almaty city
Local Sand Trivia
In the Altyn-Emel Reserve of Kazakhstan, sand sings. A loud low-pitch rumble can be heard from far. A lot of legends and sagas are connected with the sound thought to origin from desert spirits, imagined animals, bells of buried towns, or underground rivers. The mystic humming, only known in 35 locations worldwide, for long stunned scientists. Today it’s known that the sound originates from vibrations of dry sand grains rumbling down dunes. The tune depends on slope, grain size, and shape.
