The Booming Dunes of Kelso
Slide down the steep face of these Mojave dunes and the sand starts to boom like a distant engine.
What was reported
The Kelso Dunes rise about 200 metres above the Mojave Desert. When the sand is dry and someone slides down a steep face, or the sand slips on its own, the dunes give off a deep, droning boom that can last for a minute and carry a long way.
Visitors compare it to a low-flying plane or a cello. Only some dunes do it, and only when conditions are right.
Explanations offered
Booming happens when dry, rounded sand grains of similar size slide together and their movement falls into step, setting up a vibration. Scientists still debate the details, including whether layers inside the dune act as a sounding box. Only a few dozen dune fields around the world are known to boom.
- When
- Ongoing
- Where
- Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve, California, USA
- Witnesses
- Visitors to the Mojave
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.