Many Alaskans heard the booming sounds early Saturday morning caused by the volcano eruption near Tonga. Hearing a volcano, or any sound, so far away from its origin “is a pretty rare phenomenon,” says an Alaska Volcano Observatory scientist:
Low-frequency sounds typically travel greater distances than audible sounds because they lose energy at a lower rate. That’s why you can hear the bass from a concert or stereo much further away, Fee explained.
He said he was interested in learning more about whether other places also heard the booms, which may have “propagated nonlinearly through the atmosphere.” He’s also curious about whether there was something unique about Alaska’s location at play.
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