A breeze sifting through a juniper tree, the warble of a canyon wren, the sound of your own feet stepping softly along slickrock — this might be all you hear for hours in the soundscape of southeastern Utah’s national parks.
Stark and vast, the desert landscapes of Arches and Canyonlands national parks are oases of quiet in an increasingly stimulating world.
That’s actually deliberate: national parks must, by law, “restore and manage park acoustical environments and soundscapes.”
What exactly are these “acoustical environments,” though? This World Listening Day (July 18), celebrate the act of authentic hearing through the parks’ serene — and often surprising — soundscapes.
Listen to the arches — literally
If you’ve visited Arches or Canyonlands, you’ve probably seen an arch, touched an arch, maybe even smelled an arch (we won’t judge). But have you ever heard an arch?
Paul Geimer and Jeff Moore have — and now you can, too. The two geoscientists studied the vibrations produced by arches and other landforms, and sped up the vibrations into audible range.
“Arches are constantly in motion,” said Moore during an interview with the nonprofit Science Moab. “Every second of every day, they’re vibrating.” That’s because of the seismic energy that’s always coursing through the earth, as well as environmental factors like wind and vehicle traffic.
When sped up to human-hearing range, the landforms sound like a low thrum or hum.
“You can experience each arch as a sound, because each landform’s set of resonances, and therefore its vibration and sound ‘fingerprint,’ is unique,” Moore said.
Through their work with the University of Utah — Moore is a professor of geology and geophysics, while Geimer received his PhD there in 2021 — the two scientists teased apart the vibrations of famous arches across southeastern Utah. That includes Delicate Arch in Arches, Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, and Rainbow Bridge in its eponymous national monument.
Safeguarding the natural soundscape
While arches and natural bridges produce a (very quiet) sound “fingerprint,” how else do southeastern Utah’s unique deserts express themselves, sonically?
It might be through the yip of a distant coyote, the rumble of thunderstorms, wind carving sandstone into otherworldly formations. It’s also through quiet. The lack of noise is itself an essential part of the beautiful, harsh desert landscape.
And it’s a critical component for desert flora and fauna. According to Canyonlands National Park, native species including bighorn sheep and mountain lions can be hurt by noise pollution. Those animals can suffer from increased heart rates and elevated blood pressure as a result.
“Growing research shows that human-caused noise can interfere with natural behavior and communication in wildlife,” according to the park.
The park also notes that quietude is good for humans, too. Noisy environments tend to increase the stress hormone cortisol, while serenity can reduce stress and sharpen cognition.
To preserve the land’s native noise — or lack thereof — national parks including Arches and Canyonlands have taken several important steps.
Park scientists study local soundscapes and take steps to ameliorate extra noise. Loud off-highway vehicles aren’t allowed in Arches or Canyonlands. In Canyonlands, park staff have switched from loud leaf blowers to traditional straw brooms for chores. Finally, rangers boating the Colorado and Green rivers in Canyonlands usually opt to use quieter kinds of engines to minimize their impact in the echoey river canyons.
Help the parks, nourish your soul
Through its conservation projects, volunteer initiatives and community education, Friends of Arches and Canyonlands strives to safeguard the wild feel of the parks. And that includes the parks’ increasingly rare soundscapes.
You can help preserve the acoustic serenity of southeastern Utah for future generations by making a donation. Or, experience the quiet for yourself with a day volunteering in the parks.
More than postcard-perfect landscapes, these parks and monuments also nourish the soul — antidotes to the stressors of modern life.
