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The Heartbeat of an Ice Sheet: Turning Science into Sound from the Whillans Ice Plain, West Antarctica

A seismometer is not much different from an ear pressed to the earth, listening to its creaks and moans. The videos on this page take seismic data recorded in Antarctica, speed it up, and turn it into sound. We speed up the data because the creaks and moans recorded by a seismometer are usually a lower pitch than the human ear can hear. Enjoy.

Track 1: The Whillans Ice Plain Stick-Slip Cycle 

    What am I hearing?

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Track 2: Ice Stream Tremor

    What am I hearing?

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Track 3: Individual Basal Earthquakes

    What am I hearing?

Track 1
Track 2
Track 3

© 2025 Grace Barcheck. Do not reproduce photos without permission.                                                             

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