Ringing Rocks - Ringing Rocks Park

Ringing Rocks Park

Ringing Rocks Park is a county park in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania at 40°33′47″N 75°07′37″W / 40.56316°N 75.12689°W / 40.56316; -75.12689. The ringing rocks in that area are diabase. In 1965, geologist Richard Faas of Lafayette College took a few of the rocks back to his lab for testing. He found that when the rocks were struck they created a series of tones at frequencies lower than the human ear can hear. An audible sound is only produced because these tones interact with each other. Although Faas's experiments explained the nature of the tones, they did not identify the specific physical mechanism in the rock which made them.

Read more about this topic:  Ringing Rocks

Famous quotes containing the words ringing, rocks and/or park:

    As soon as I suspect a fine effect is being achieved by accident I lose interest. I am not interested ... in unskilled labor.... The scientific actor is an even worker. Any one may achieve on some rare occasion an outburst of genuine feeling, a gesture of imperishable beauty, a ringing accent of truth; but your scientific actor knows how he did it. He can repeat it again and again and again. He can be depended on.
    Minnie Maddern Fiske (1865–1932)

    Lord, what a thoughtless wretch was I,
    To mourn, and murmur and repine,
    To see the wicked placed on high,
    In pride and robes of honor shine.
    But oh, their end, their dreadful end,
    Thy sanctuary taught me so,
    On slipp’ry rocks I see them stand,
    And fiery billows roll below.
    Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

    Therefore awake! make haste, I say,
    And let us, without staying,
    All in our gowns of green so gay
    Into the Park a-maying!
    Unknown. Sister, Awake! (L. 9–12)