The sand of Dunhuang sings; the ancients said it was the immortals beating drums

South of Dunhuang city, there is a sand mountain called Mingsha Mountain. On sunny days, when people slide down from the top, the sand makes a 'booming' sound, like distant thunder, or like drumbeats.

The ancients found this strange and recorded it in books. They said that this mountain was usually quiet, but once someone climbed up and stepped on it, the sand would sound, and the noise could be heard several li away. Because of this, in ancient times it was called 'Sha Jiao Mountain,' said to house spirits beating drums and blowing horns.

At the foot of the mountain is a spring called Crescent Spring, curved like a new moon, which has not been buried by sand for over two thousand years. There is so much sand on the mountain and the wind is so strong, yet the spring water remains clean. The local elders say this is the blessing of the immortals.

Later, scientists studied it and gave an explanation: wind blowing over the sand mountain forms a vortex by the spring, rolling sand up the mountain rather than into the spring, so the spring is not buried.

The singing sand also has an explanation: the sand must be dry, clean, round, and of uniform grain size; when the dune slides, the sand grains rub and squeeze against each other, producing a low-frequency resonance, like a giant pipe organ. If the sand is wet, it does not sound.

This phenomenon exists in many deserts around the world, but the sound in Dunhuang is recognized as the largest.

In the evening, those who climb Mingsha Mountain sit on top and slide down; the sand booms beneath them, and Crescent Spring lies at the foot of the mountain, still that slender crescent moon.

#Paranormal #网络转载 #甘肃