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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling

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Published on: August 5, 2016

Booming dune instability.

B Andreotti¹, L Bonneau

¹Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, UMR 7636 CNRS-ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.

Physical Review Letters

|April 7, 2010

Summary

The "song of dunes" is explained by a new theory showing that sand avalanches become unstable and produce sound due to elastic waves forming in shear bands. This research clarifies the acoustic amplification mechanism behind booming sand dunes.

Area of Science:

Geophysics
Acoustics
Granular physics

Background:

Desert dunes can emit loud, vibrato sounds known as the "song of dunes."
The exact physical mechanism generating this acoustic phenomenon remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To theoretically explain the origin of the booming instability in sand avalanches.
To identify the acoustic amplification mechanism responsible for the song of dunes.

Main Methods:

Developed a theoretical model for homogenous granular surface flow.
Analyzed linear instability towards elastic waves in shear bands.
Computed the dispersion relation and unstable modes.

Main Results:

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A localized shear band at the avalanche-dune interface causes linear instability.

This instability leads to growing elastic waves, generating sound.

The theory explains the characteristic frequency and vibrato of dune song.

Conclusions:

The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding the song of dunes.
The findings elucidate the role of elastic waves and shear bands in granular acoustics.
The theoretical predictions are consistent with field observations.