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A seismic hum signals a new era of climate uncertainty
An enigmatic sound has shown that the frozen corners of the world are creaking – and in more ways than one.
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Scientists combed through historical seismic data and found similar signals in the same region as far back as 2016.
PHOTO: AFP
Anjana Ahuja
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Seismologists initially thought their instruments were faulty. The signal, detected by monitoring stations in September 2023, did not match the rich tapestry of frequencies characteristic of an earthquake or volcanic eruption. Besides, no such events had been reported.
Yet there it was, plain to see on monitors the world over: a single-frequency global hum, pulsing every 92 seconds, for nine days. On online academic message boards, the mysterious signal was ascribed to a USO, or unidentified seismic object.
