All about the ringing rocks of Pennsylvania
A seven-acre field of nothing but large boulders may not look very appealing to you. But it may sound fascinating to you. Yes, you read it right because there is a forest full of boulders that are famous for creating a ringing sound when struck. Located in the Delaware River community, Upper Black Eddy in Pennsylvania is the Ringing Rocks Park. It is the largest boulder field in Pennsylvania, and the rocks possess a ringing quality.
The park is 128 acres in size, but the seven-acre section covered in boulders remains the main tourist attraction. The visitors to this park often come armed with hammers as the rocks create a bell-like sound when struck by a hammer! A geologist named Richard Faas from Lafayette College in Easton discovered this property of these boulders in 1965. He took some rocks to his lab for testing and found that they created this bell-like sound due to resonance! What is resonance? Let us find out about the science behind these ringing rocks and other intriguing facts about them!
Science behind the ringing rocks
Scientists don’t have a definitive answer to why the rocks create sounds when struck. However, they did name them ringing rocks. They are also called sonorous or lithophonic rocks. These names are given to rocks that create a bell-like sound when struck. Now this happens when two frequencies match and the sound gets amplified. The process is known as resonance.
This means that there are many places where such strange rocks can be found and scientists have been studying them for ages! The ringing rocks are composed of diabase, the same type of rock that makes up most of Earth’s crust.
Another fascinating fact is that most rocks are made from the same material, but only one-third of them makes a ringing sound! Why? Well, no one knows. The rocks that do ring are called ‘live rocks’ and the ones that don’t ring are referred to as ‘dead.’ Scientists have identified dozens of ringing rock fields in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region. Unfortunately, many of them have obliterated because of urban development.
Folklore surrounding the ringing rocks
Native American stories about the ringing rocks have been passed down generations to the first white settlers during the mid-1700s. These stories say that the field possesses a strange and eerie aura. Because of this, the local animals steer clear of this area. The stories also describe the absence of plant life from the surface and that the place is cursed! The claim of being cursed was further supported by the fact that the rocks ring. Another popular folklore is that these ringing rocks played a role in ancient rituals. Also, ringing meant that the rocks were hollow inside and filled with gold and silver. This myth arose from the Welsh village of Maenchochog, where people found treasure after smashing the rocks. Another legend is called ‘the golden ringing stone of Fole.’ During the 19th century, people in Sweden thought that the presence of gold inside caused the rocks to ring. However, they did not find any treasure inside when they smashed them.
The rock concert of Dr. J. J. Ott
It was Dr. J. J. Ott who helped uncover the true splendour of ringing rocks in 1890. He ventured to create music with the help of these rocks. Dr. Ott arranged a concert for the Buckwampum Historical Society of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was accompanied by the Pleasant Valley Band. They performed a selection of songs using the rocks. For the concert, Dr. Ott collected specific rocks with different pitches. The concert received much appreciation from the community. In fact, there was even an article written about the concert in the Natural History magazine. Dr. Ott’s performance can be considered the first ‘rock’ concert in history.