China’s first desert resort, the striking Whistling Dune Bay, sits among sand dunes with a rather special ability:
They can sing. When the wind strikes them, the dunes produce a sound described as humming, booming, or roaring, which led merchant traveller Marco Polo to think they were possessed by evil spirits.
In reality, the noise is caused by an avalanche of sand grains. “The sand grains in the avalanche rub against each other, creating small bursts of sound due to shearing,” says Dr Nathalie Vriend, a
geophysicist at Cambridge University, the UK. “These bursts of sound can amplify due to the dune’s unique internal structure, creating the booming sound that can be heard from miles away.”
Guests at the hotel are invited to hear the unearthly sounds for themselves by sliding down the dune to produce a rumble reminiscent of an aircraft, or squeezing a handful of sand to make an unusual croaking noise.
They can sing. When the wind strikes them, the dunes produce a sound described as humming, booming, or roaring, which led merchant traveller Marco Polo to think they were possessed by evil spirits.
In reality, the noise is caused by an avalanche of sand grains. “The sand grains in the avalanche rub against each other, creating small bursts of sound due to shearing,” says Dr Nathalie Vriend, a
geophysicist at Cambridge University, the UK. “These bursts of sound can amplify due to the dune’s unique internal structure, creating the booming sound that can be heard from miles away.”
Guests at the hotel are invited to hear the unearthly sounds for themselves by sliding down the dune to produce a rumble reminiscent of an aircraft, or squeezing a handful of sand to make an unusual croaking noise.
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