Haunted Dunes Mystery Solved

When Marco Polo, the Italian merchant traveler crossed the sand dunes in Whistling Dune Bay, the humming sounds from the dunes made him believe that they were haunted by ghosts and evil spirits. Today the same sound producing dunes are an active part of China’s tourism attractions.

The sand dunes create a booming sound as the grains of sand rub against each other. The sound is further amplified because of the dunes unique internal structure. The study conducted by Dr Nathalie Vriend, Cambridge University, revealed that the sounds created by mere sand grains rubbing against each other can be heard for miles.

Now there is a beautiful tourist resort located close to the sand dunes in Whistling Dune Bay. The hotel guests have the opportunity to create their own unearthly sounds by sliding down the dune or simply squeezing a handful of this special sand to create a unique croaking sound.

It would make an interesting science project to see how the mass of the sand used affected the level of sound created. Using a sledge to go down the mountain will definitely make a much louder, almost avalanche type of noise than merely jogging over the dunes would create.