Yellowstone seismic activity to be turned into live 'rock' concert
The ambitious event will mark the first time data sonification using live geophysical data has been attempted on stage.
Yellowstone National Park
A look at the United States' first National Park: Yellowstone.
ATLANTA – A scientist from the United Kingdom will attempt to turn seismic activity recorded in real time at Yellowstone National Park into music that will then be turned into a live performance on stage at a conference in Georgia on Tuesday.
If successful, this will give a whole new meaning to the definition of a "rock" concert.
THESE US NATIONAL PARKS REQUIRE RESERVATIONS IN 2023
FILE - The iconic Old Faithful Geyser springs to life (every 90 minutes) in Yellowstone National Parks Upper Geyser Basin on September 18, 2022, in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Sitting atop an active volcanic caldera, Yellowstone, Americas first National Park, is home to more geological hydrothermal features (geysers, mud pots, hot springs, fumaroles) than are found in the rest of the world combined.
(George Rose / Getty Images)
Dr. Domenico Vicinanza, a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University’s (ARU) School of Computing and Information Science in the U.K., developed a computer program that will map the seismic activity recorded at Yellowstone National Park in real time and then turn that into musical notes.
Vicinanza is a leading expert in data sonification, which is the process of converting scientific measurements into sound, according to a news release from ARU.
"We have absolutely no idea how the music will turn out," Vicinanza said. "Using my program, I’ll be converting the data to musical notes, and if there’s significant seismic activity and big spikes in the data we’re receiving at that time, the music will be incredibly dramatic."
Watch: Bison calf holding up traffic in Yellowstone National Park
A bison calf holding up traffic in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, was watched over by its herd while sitting in the middle of a road, on April 22.
The musical notes will be performed live on stage by Dr. Alyssa Schwartz, visiting assistant professor of flute and musicology at Fairmont State University in West Virginia.
And this ambitious event will mark the first time data sonification using live geophysical data has been attempted on stage.
HOW THE NATIONAL PARKS PRESERVE THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE US
Yellowstone National Park: Tourism rebounding after extreme weather events
Yellowstone National Park is a diverse land bordering three states. In the age of social media, getting a chance to see the park's famous bison, moose or bears is a highly desirable experience for the millions of tourists who travel there. But recent extreme weather events like flooding kept the tourists away, now the months ahead look bright as we look at the challenges the park has faced and what lies ahead. FOX Weather’s Robert Ray reports.
"Alyssa won’t be able to change any note, but she will be able to interpret the piece of music created before her eyes, and she will be able to creatively use speed, articulation, or make certain parts softer or louder," Vicinanza said.
The performance will be held at the 2023 Internet2 Community Exchange conference in Atlanta on Tuesday.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Yellowstone region is one of the most seismically active areas in the U.S. and experiences an average of 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes yearly.
Earlier this year, seismologists monitoring Yellowstone reported dozens of earthquakes beneath the northern portion of Yellowstone Lake.
Within 12 hours in March, at least 60 earthquakes ranging from magnitude 0.1 to 3.7 were detected.