Iceland’s seismic waves sound awfully eerie. You can listen.

If people in Iceland could hear the seismic activity beneath their feet, it would sound like this.
 By 
Teodosia Dobriyanova
 on 
A split screen shows a hole caused by an earthquake is Grindavík, Iceland on the left. On the right, there's a picture of a recently erupted Icelandic volcano, with lava and smoke coming out of the crater.
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From quick hits to deep dives, this Mashable series cuts through the noise to explain what on Earth is going on and what you should know about it.


If the human ear could hear impending seismic activity, this is what people across Iceland would be hearing right now.

A jarring symphony, reminiscent of the sounds of slamming doors and thunderstorms, can be listened to in full on Northwestern University’s Earthtunes app, which transforms seismic frequencies into audible pitches.

Potent seismic activity in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, which caused multiple earthquakes, has been signaling a large and imminent volcanic eruption. As a result, residents of the town of Grindavik, just over an hour's drive from the capital Reykjavik, have been evacuated.

With the news of this impending volcano eruption in Iceland, as well as Sicily's Mount Etna recently spewing lava and ash, it may seem like there's a increased volcanic activity across the world at the moment. Mashable's Science Editor Mark Kaufman explains what's actually going on.

Picture of Teodosia
Teodosia Dobriyanova
Video Producer

Teodosia is a video producer at Mashable UK, focussing on stories about climate resilience, urban development, and social good.


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