Talk:List of unexplained sounds

Some unexplained sounds needing article

These articles are in Finnish language, but you can view those YouTube-videos. You can also click that YouTube-logo in that Flash-videoplayer in order watch those videos at YouTube:

http://www.findance.com/uutiset/16232/outo-aani-riivaa-ukrainaa-kuin-kauhuleffoista

http://www.findance.com/uutiset/17413/omituisia-aania-kuultu-ympari-maailmaa-mita-ihmetta-tama-on

juhtolv (talk) 22:52, 20 January 2012 (UTC)

Some of the pages in the list have a See also section. Each See also section is slightly different, with some containing a link to this list and others simply containing several other items from the list. As of this writing only Unexplained boom does not contain a See also section. I'm going to adjust this by giving each article a uniform See also section containing only a link to this list.

It might also be useful to create an Unexplained Sound template to make the articles more uniform. Does anyone agree?

Radicaledward101 (talk) 14:24, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

While adjusting the See also sections I came up with the following question: Why does this list exist if we also have Category:Unidentified sounds? Radicaledward101 (talk) 14:44, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

I agree but it would effectively orphan the pagesRoyalBlueStuey (talk) 08:29, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

unreferenced entries

I removed

• The Whelan Wails
• Jursh Bumps

There was no references or links. Apols if these are genuine entries RoyalBlueStuey (talk) 08:29, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Updating

Why are these still listed as unexplained when the conclusions of NOAA are that they are just the sound of moving ice?

• http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/sounds/bloop.html
• http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/sounds/julia.html
• http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/sounds/noise97139.html
• http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/sounds/train.html

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Zzsignup (talk • contribs) 22:49, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

The NOAA saying the sounds "are consistent with" something doesn't really explain the the mechanism. Archive.org is having some server trouble, or I'd be tracking this down better. Also, this is a list, intended as a waypoint to the articles with the full stories. --Lexein (talk) 23:28, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

That can be said that about pretty much every sound detected by NOAA. They often conclude a sound is man-made simply because it is consistent with other man-made sounds, not because they actually VERIFY every sound with the source. It seems in their opinions there's nothing 'unexplained' nor mysterious about these sounds. Aren't we adding our own bias when we conclude they are 'unexplained' when there are sound (pun intended) explanations for them? Zzsignup (talk) 20:37, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

Tough call when otherwise reliable sources call them "unexplained". But I see your point. --Lexein (talk) 20:45, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

NOAA has dropped the code names for those particular sounds (e.g. "the sound formerly known as “Julia”" is now identified primarily as "Icebergs grounding on sea floor"). The language they have chosen to frame their evaluation that these sounds originate from normal ice related events (i.e "highly probable", "most likely", etc.) is unambiguous and clear, so I've revised the article accordingly. - LuckyLouie (talk) 16:35, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

Strange sounds heard around the world

This has been getting significant coverage in the press, we could make a mention here but probably needs an article first. See . -- œ^™ 02:58, 18 November 2013 (UTC)

This sounds are now well known for coming from a movie "RED STATE" (2011). In the final scene we can here the "Trumpets of Apocalypse", this sound is the same sound heard in this videos --Gargamail (talk) 21:55, 8 February 2016 (UTC)

Terminology

Is 'unexplained sounds' the best term?

A number of them have 'explained, or plausible-to-non-experts' generic origins (an iceberg calving, underwater earthquakes and landslides' etc) - it is 'the proximate and specific event' that is unknown or unexplained. 80.254.147.68 (talk) 17:14, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

As you can see from the categories at the bottom of this Talk page, the article had some early influence from X-Files enthusiasts. Since there's nothing mysterious or "unexplained" about ocean sounds that are both identified and unidentified being cataloged by the NOAA, I support moving the article to List of ocean sounds or something similar. - LuckyLouie (talk) 17:36, 19 June 2014 (UTC)

The distinction between 'the known background' and 'the unexplained-because-unlinked-actual cause' should be made (and this probably applies to mirages and various other phenomena). 80.254.147.68 (talk) 16:28, 24 June 2014 (UTC)

Mistpouffers

Can someone sort out the article name - it has been changed to Skyquake, but the text applies to heading Mistpouffers: go to the talk page and things tangle up with Skyquake (Transformers). 108.171.128.162 (talk) 16:36, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Mistpouffers 2

'Mistpouffers' and 'Skyquake' both redirect to the latter word - should the entry be 'Mistpouffers - 'also known as'/see skyquake? Jackiespeel (talk) 09:27, 17 April 2015 (UTC)

Sound explained

This was on Yahoo News: would it be feasible to have it or similar with a related sonogram to show 'what an explained sound looks like'? Jackiespeel (talk) 13:30, 19 May 2015 (UTC)

Title

Isn't this a list of unexplained oceanic sounds? If so why are specific geo-coordinates being indicated? Shyamal (talk) 08:36, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

The location of the hydrophone is known, and in some cases it is possible to locate the source using multiple microphones. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 02:26, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

Julia's Shadow Photograph

Where is the source for this???

" ... A picture supposedly taken by NASA's Apollo 33A5 at around the same time the sound was recorded, near the Southwest section of cape cadre, shows what appears to be a large shadow moving through the section. However, these pictures are not available to the public for viewing, and as a result, have led to some speculation over its existence. ..."

If there is no serious source, we should delete this part.

Although that meme really is terrifying, the only FACT in it is the Julia sound explained by NOAA.

- There was no Apollo 33A5. It’s a made-up mission/craft so there can’t be any pictures - NASAs work is mostly unclassified (see e.g. https://hq.nasa.gov/security/infoclass/idclassif.htm) - 'Cape Cadre' doesn’t exist (Adare does) MisterTimelord (talk) 11:40, 4 June 2020 (UTC)

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Julia?

I can't find anything online (at the time of this posting) why it is called "Julia". Is there any data on this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.197.144.134 (talk) 04:49, 4 February 2018 (UTC)

Routine reports of Booms and Rumbles

Local reports of booming sounds, such as this recent one don't have the level of notability required by WP:EVENT for mention in Wikipedia. In fact, these kinds of reports and news stories are quite routine and unless there is serious in-depth coverage in WP:RS we shouldn't be including them here, per WP:NOTNEWS. - - LuckyLouie (talk) 14:43, 4 January 2022 (UTC)

Title of article

I just want to add that the title "list of unexplained sounds" is incredibly general and capacious. This is a misleading title, because what we have here is not a list of unexplained sounds, as such, but unknown sound signals picked up by an array of sensor technologies in oceans . The first sentence reads, "The following is a list of sounds which are currently, or were previously, unidentified" but it says nothing about the fact that they are all sounds associated with the ocean or bodies of water (with the exception of "The Hum," which adds to the confusion). There are unexplained sounds that are not in the oceans. For example, this title could be conflated with various articles on unknown shortwave radio broadcasts. Dunston666 (talk) 16:57, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

The title is a holdover from WP:SENSATIONAL coverage, e.g. howstuffworks.com, which goes to show that even normally reliable sources can often indulge in clickbait to attract interest and engagement in the new attention economy. The title is misleading because all of the listed ocean sounds have plausible explanations. The fact that there are some other sounds that have plausible explanations but have not been definitively identified allows pop culture and fearmongers to play them up as "unexplained". I suggest the article be moved to List of ocean sounds. The Ping can be covered at Fury and Hecla Strait, as well as Skyquakes and The Hum at their own articles. - LuckyLouie (talk) 17:41, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

I think everything you've said is a good idea. Although, not to sound nitpicky but it is worth noting that the title of the article claims these are "unexplained" sounds but then the article uses the term "unidentified." While similar, they aren't the same. As you suggest, "unidentified" suggests that the sources of the sounds simply haven't been verified, even if there are plausible explanations. "Unexplained" is far more sensational. (Although I suppose the distinction is collapsing with the sensationalism regarding unidentified flying objects.) Maybe worth thinking about going forward. These are ocean sounds whose origins remain unconfirmed/unidentified even if they have likely explanations or plausible accounts. That renders these less paranormal topics and more open scientific questions. Dunston666 (talk) 18:35, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

But nonetheless, a basic point that remains is "list of unexplained sounds" would likely involve far more than a handful of sonar contacts picked up across the world's oceans. Dunston666 (talk) 18:38, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

We are limited by information published in reliable sources. Information published by ocean researchers could well be published in academic journals counted as reliable. But mysterious bangs or trumpet sounds heard by the public may be published on social media and not counted as reliable. I think "unexplained" is a fairly neutral term, term compared with say "mystery" or "alien". To see if the title needs to be changed we should check what the reliable sources on the topic say. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 23:44, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

Fair enough, but I still think the point about "unexplained" is secondary to the point that "List of unexplained sounds" is not an accurate explanation of what is in this article. It is too all-encompassing and misleading. Dunston666 (talk) 06:41, 16 August 2025 (UTC)

The word unexplained may be considered neutral under some circumstances in the abstract but language evolves as culture changes, and the term is now most often associated with mystery, e.g. The UnXplained, Unexplained Mysteries,The Unexplained (magazine), Unexplained Canada, World of the Unexplained, etc. IMO such considerations are crucial to determining the most appropriate title for use in an encyclopedic setting. - LuckyLouie (talk) 12:21, 16 August 2025 (UTC)

the term is now most often associated with mystery

If the ocean sounds are unidentified, unknown or unexplained then they are by definition a mystery. The answer to a mystery doesn't have to be supernatural or fringe. TurboSuperA+_[talk] 05:31, 18 August 2025 (UTC)