On the right bank of the Ili River, in the Altyn-Emel National Park, there is a natural phenomenon - the Singing Dune. In dry weather, you can hear the melodious sounds from the sand dunes that resemble organ playing.
Legend says that these are the melodies of spirits of the desert. But scientists have other opinion. They have found that the sandstone sounds like this because of the friction of sand, which is provoked by the wind and walks along the sand.
Observations showed that the greater the moving mass of sand, the louder the sand dune sounds — slide down from the dunes, and the sound will become more expressive.
It is curious why other dunes behave quietly. It turns out the case in the form of grains of sand. The "singing" dunes have round sand, with a diameter of 0.1–0.5 mm, and have silicates in composition. In addition, humidity matters - only the dry sand mass of the dune “sings”.
The sand dune was formed as a result of blowing sand from the shoals of the Ili River. Here, in the Ili River valley, strong winds blow, they raise clouds of sand dust from the river banks. Thus, over the millennia, this huge dune has grown: up to 3 kilometers long and 150 meters high.
On the excursion we will walk along the very crest of the dune and take a ride from the dune, making it sing louder!
