Tectonic plates, to be specific. Those who have studied geology, formally or informally (like, reading National Geographic or Discover) know that the earth is riddled with fault lines, many of which fall along the boundaries of tectonic plates in places like the Pacific Rim. Periodically, as pressure builds along these faults, they move in various directions, releasing tremendous power through what might be described as a snapping motion. But what does that sound like?
Well, in real life, we know of rumbles and crumbles as buildings fall, but what if you put it all to music? An Australian technology innovator, David Johnson, did just that, taking a century of seismic data, assigning notes and instruments to various parts of the planet, and lets it play out. Some of it can be eerie, some exciting, but it certainly is a new way to relate to the tremor patterns of the world’s earthquakes over time.
We just posted an entry to this experiment on APA’s Recovery News blog, but click on through and try it all for yourself—all eight days’ worth of music that results. Or some digestible portion thereof, such as the earthquakes that occurred at the onset of World War II. Johnson is one of those people who periodically remind us that technology and science can be fun. (I almost forgot that when I undertook two college courses in geology around 1970, albeit without any noticeable impact on my GPA.)
Jim Schwab