Replay · time of day (UTC)
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Sound output
drawn like a seismograph drum · starts with the soundQuakes · newest first · click one to hear it
No quakes yet.
Icelandic Earthquakes Data Sonification
SKJÁLFTI DATA FIELDS turns Iceland's earthquakes into sound. Skjálfti is Icelandic for tremor. The island sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart, and the ground moves every day, mostly too gently to feel. Here every quake is heard.
Each quake recorded by the Icelandic Met Office appears on the map, its size showing the magnitude and its colour the depth, and becomes a sound: magnitude and depth shape its pitch, loudness and length, and its place on the island sets it from left (west) to right (east).
The page opens in Replay: the last 48 hours played back in one minute. Live plays new quakes as they're reported, and Manual lets you play them yourself. Zoom into the map to listen to one area. If you hear nothing, press the sound button at the top.
Replay · time of day (UTC)
Sound output
drawn like a seismograph drum · starts with the sound