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Utah's Rainbow Bridge in Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Utah's Rainbow Bridge in Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah, is one of the world’s largest natural arches. University of Utah geologists placed a seismometer at the base of the arch in 2017 to measure ambient resonance (inset image). Data were used to monitor the structural health of the natural bridge.
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At the red rock arches of the Colorado Plateau, seismic vibrations that are almost imperceptible to human ears ripple through the rocks. Geoscientist Jeff Moore of the University of Utah uses recordings of the vibrations to study the arches' structural stability. Moore is learning where the seismic vibrations come from and how they affect the arches. Artist Jacob Kirkegaard layers Moore's recordings with sounds of the arches' environment to show that the rocks are a vibrant part of their ecosystem.
"These rock movements are happening every second of every day, but are too small for us to see or feel," said Moore. "Hearing the natural hum of the arches gives them a 'voice' where, in effect, they convey their state of health and their responses to all manner of forces."
Moore's National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded study of Utah's Rainbow Bridge revealed that seismic sources as close as Lake Powell (on the border of Utah and Arizona) and as far away as Oklahoma caused vibrations in the bridge. The scientist characterized how waves resonate throughout the bridge, causing small movements that, when exaggerated, look like wobbles on a plate of gelatin.
This research has important implications for the conservation and management of our nation's natural resources," said Justin Lawrence, a program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences, "especially related to natural hazards such as earthquakes as well as the impacts of human visitation."
[Research supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (grant EAR 1424896).]
Learn more in the NSF Discovery story Song of the red rock arches. (Date image taken: April 2017; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: Dec. 12, 2017)
Credit: Jeffrey Moore, University of Utah
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