Re: [Texascavers] Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread dirtdoc
I was in on the rebuild job. They said it had been a great idea but it didn't 
work right. 

- Original Message -

From: "JAMES D EVATT"  
Cc: "2 - Dwight on COMCAST"  
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2014 5:17:26 PM 
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Re: [SWR] Ringing stones 

Doc, 

When I was knee-high to a diamondback, my folks finally relented to my 
badgering and took me to a commercial cave, my first underground adventure. I 
was hooked, lined, and sinkered right then and there. 

The cave was less than 100 miles from home, and mighty well-known even at that 
time. 

We lived in Towson Maryland. The year was 1950. I was 7 years old. The cave was 
Caverns of Luray. We had to park in the triangular parking lot in the farthest 
row from the concession building, even then. Waited over an hour for the tour. 
They had, as I remember, only about 6 notes working right on the Stalactapipe 
Organ. 

Passed my 50 year point with NSS last month. Haven't got my pin yet but as busy 
as they are in moving the headquarters, I'm not too worried. 

Jim 


[Texascavers] Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Aimee Beveridge
That is a fantastic story!  I grew up going on school trips and family visits 
to Luray Caverns.  I adored hearing "Oh, Shenandoah" played there.  It sent 
chills down my spine.  Very cool.  


> On May 26, 2014, at 10:35 AM, dirt...@comcast.net wrote:
> 
> Interesting comments, Peter.  Brings back an unusual memory.
>  In the late 50's, when I was a student at RPI, I found myself touring Luray 
> Caverns.  An old guy with a rubber mallet and a tuning fork was thumping 
> around in the cave.  I wandered away from the tour and started talking to 
> him.  It turned out that his helper had some sort family emergency and I 
> ended up being hired to assist him for most of a week.  It was a very trial 
> and error process.  He thumped around with his little rubber mallet until he 
> found the exact tone that he wanted.  My job was to carefully mark the spot 
> and label it as he instructed me. He had a check-sheet with the list of 
> notes, and a detailed layout of the room so he could locate the right spot 
> again. He was still at it when I left, but was down to a few elusive notes 
> that he was trying to find.
>  Yes, I have been back, and the results ARE impressive.  I've always thought 
> of it as the original surround sound.
>  DirtDoc.


Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Ken Harrington
Pete,
So the purpose of the 1947 crash was to put weird rocks in the Carlsbad area to 
screw with my mind some 67 years later.  Those darn aliens are sure sneaky and 
obviously have a difference concept of time than we do.  I wonder how they knew 
I would be looking at those rocks so far in the future?   Wonder if the alien 
came from the rings of Saturn and that would explain the ringing.
Ken

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the 
rain. 
 
Subject: Re: [SWR] Ringing stones
From: pjca...@gwi.net
Date: Mon, 26 May 2014 13:22:02 -0400
CC: ken_harring...@hotmail.com; txcavem...@yahoo.com; s...@caver.net; 
texascavers@texascavers.com
To: caverp...@gmail.com

Damn, Pete, you just gave away the great secret of the aliens.  How could 
you?!?!?!?
Peter

On May 26, 2014, at 1:10 PM, Pete Lindsley wrote:Ken, have you considered that 
these magical stones could have come down from the Roswell site?
 - Pete  ;-)
On May 26, 2014, at 8:10 AM, Ken Harrington wrote:Peter,
 
Interesting!  There is a pile of stones up in the area of Brantley Lake that 
have a distinctive metallic ring to them when struck by something.  They are 
all rather small (less than 12") long and are not like anything else in the 
area.  I have been curious for some time as to what gave them the metallic tone 
quality.  Your reference to high heat makes me think they may have been brought 
in from another area where there may have been some volcanic activity.  And 
then again it may be that they are just rocks and this e-mail will confirm for 
all that I have rocks in my head.
 
Ken


Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the 
rain. 
 
From: pjca...@gwi.net
Date: Sun, 25 May 2014 20:36:34 -0400
To: txcavem...@yahoo.com
CC: s...@caver.net; texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

Karen:  I'm surprised no one else has offered an explanation as of yet.  My 
guess, in part because I am potter, is that it has to do with the crystalline 
structure of the "stones".  The reason I mention pottery is because many of my 
pots, when they come out of the very high temperature firing in my propane 
fired kiln (roughly 2350 F or cone 10 as the pyrometric cone number is called), 
have a wonderful and sustained ring to them when I rap my fingers on the rim of 
some pieces.  Some can sustain that ring for half a minute or so.  During the 
firing when the clay body is vitrifying and melting the various ingredients 
together into one another, a crystalline structure develops.  Clay is basically 
composed of silica, alumina and various oxides such as potassium, sodium, 
lithium, calcium and a small handful of others that lower the melting 
temperature of the silica and alumina components.  When they interact at the 
high temperature I fire to, that crystalline structure bonds all the 
ingredients into a very tight, hard material, extremely resistant to chemical 
attack.  In general, the higher the firing temperature, the longer the ringing 
sound will last.  As such, stoneware and porcelain pottery tends to have the 
better and longer lasting ringing sound than lower fired clay bodies such as 
earthenware.
Obviously not all stones (and I am assuming you are including stalactites and 
various other calcite formations in this category) are formed by heat reaction. 
 Plenty of them, such as calcite formations, occur through crystalline growth 
without the application of heat.  While those produced at higher temperatures 
may be stronger on a molecular level, that doesn't mean that they won't produce 
a ringing sound as a result of that crystalline growth.  Plenty of stals have a 
long and sustained ring to them.
There is also another factor involved in a prolonged ringing sound.  In the 
case of my pots, the most pronounced ringing comes from bowl shapes.  A platter 
may ring as well, but the longest and purest ringing tones come from bowl 
shapes.  Mugs don't ring at all, nor do plates, but the molecular structure of 
the clay is essentially identical in all of them.  The same could be said for 
stalactites.  Short, stubby stals don't do much more than just clunk when they 
are rapped by a finger.   Longer stals have a much greater resonance and it is 
likely due to the longer length vs girth of the formation.  Soda straws don't 
ring, but a long stalactite certainly is much more likely to sustain a ring 
than virtually any other formation.
This is certainly a very simplified version of why things ring and I hope that 
other more knowledgable people will respond as well.  This is based mostly on 
empirical evidence from my own experience as a potter and a caver.  Perhaps 
someone from Luray Caverns should answer this question as they are the ones 
with the "stalacpipe organ" which uses a keyboard driven hammer device attached 
to various "tuned" stalactites throughout the cave.  It's pretty impressive
Peter Jones

On May 25, 2014, at 9:57 AM, Karen Perry wrote:Does anyone know 

Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Peter Jones
Damn, Pete, you just gave away the great secret of the aliens.  How could 
you?!?!?!?

Peter


On May 26, 2014, at 1:10 PM, Pete Lindsley wrote:

> Ken, have you considered that these magical stones could have come down from 
> the Roswell site?
> 
>  - Pete  ;-)
> 
> On May 26, 2014, at 8:10 AM, Ken Harrington wrote:
> 
> Peter,
>  
> Interesting!  There is a pile of stones up in the area of Brantley Lake that 
> have a distinctive metallic ring to them when struck by something.  They are 
> all rather small (less than 12") long and are not like anything else in the 
> area.  I have been curious for some time as to what gave them the metallic 
> tone quality.  Your reference to high heat makes me think they may have been 
> brought in from another area where there may have been some volcanic 
> activity.  And then again it may be that they are just rocks and this e-mail 
> will confirm for all that I have rocks in my head.
>  
> Ken
> 
> 
> Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the 
> rain. 
>  
> From: pjca...@gwi.net
> Date: Sun, 25 May 2014 20:36:34 -0400
> To: txcavem...@yahoo.com
> CC: s...@caver.net; texascavers@texascavers.com
> Subject: Re: [SWR] Ringing stones
> 
> Karen:  I'm surprised no one else has offered an explanation as of yet.  My 
> guess, in part because I am potter, is that it has to do with the crystalline 
> structure of the "stones".  The reason I mention pottery is because many of 
> my pots, when they come out of the very high temperature firing in my propane 
> fired kiln (roughly 2350 F or cone 10 as the pyrometric cone number is 
> called), have a wonderful and sustained ring to them when I rap my fingers on 
> the rim of some pieces.  Some can sustain that ring for half a minute or so.  
> During the firing when the clay body is vitrifying and melting the various 
> ingredients together into one another, a crystalline structure develops.  
> Clay is basically composed of silica, alumina and various oxides such as 
> potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium and a small handful of others that lower 
> the melting temperature of the silica and alumina components.  When they 
> interact at the high temperature I fire to, that crystalline structure bonds 
> all the ingredients into a very tight, hard material, extremely resistant to 
> chemical attack.  In general, the higher the firing temperature, the longer 
> the ringing sound will last.  As such, stoneware and porcelain pottery tends 
> to have the better and longer lasting ringing sound than lower fired clay 
> bodies such as earthenware.
> 
> Obviously not all stones (and I am assuming you are including stalactites and 
> various other calcite formations in this category) are formed by heat 
> reaction.  Plenty of them, such as calcite formations, occur through 
> crystalline growth without the application of heat.  While those produced at 
> higher temperatures may be stronger on a molecular level, that doesn't mean 
> that they won't produce a ringing sound as a result of that crystalline 
> growth.  Plenty of stals have a long and sustained ring to them.
> 
> There is also another factor involved in a prolonged ringing sound.  In the 
> case of my pots, the most pronounced ringing comes from bowl shapes.  A 
> platter may ring as well, but the longest and purest ringing tones come from 
> bowl shapes.  Mugs don't ring at all, nor do plates, but the molecular 
> structure of the clay is essentially identical in all of them.  The same 
> could be said for stalactites.  Short, stubby stals don't do much more than 
> just clunk when they are rapped by a finger.   Longer stals have a much 
> greater resonance and it is likely due to the longer length vs girth of the 
> formation.  Soda straws don't ring, but a long stalactite certainly is much 
> more likely to sustain a ring than virtually any other formation.
> 
> This is certainly a very simplified version of why things ring and I hope 
> that other more knowledgable people will respond as well.  This is based 
> mostly on empirical evidence from my own experience as a potter and a caver.  
> Perhaps someone from Luray Caverns should answer this question as they are 
> the ones with the "stalacpipe organ" which uses a keyboard driven hammer 
> device attached to various "tuned" stalactites throughout the cave.  It's 
> pretty impressive
> 
> Peter Jones
> 
> 
> 
> On May 25, 2014, at 9:57 AM, Karen Perry wrote:
> 
> Does anyone know why some stones ring or have a musical quality?
> Thanks,
> Karen
> ___
> SWR mailing list
> s...@caver.net
> http://lists.caver.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/swr
> ___
> This list is provided free as a courtesy of CAVERNET
> 
> 
> ___ SWR mailing list 
> s...@caver.net 
> http://lists.caver.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/swr___
>  This list i

[Texascavers] Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Pete Lindsley
Ken, have you considered that these magical stones could have come down from 
the Roswell site?

 - Pete  ;-)

On May 26, 2014, at 8:10 AM, Ken Harrington wrote:

Peter,
 
Interesting!  There is a pile of stones up in the area of Brantley Lake that 
have a distinctive metallic ring to them when struck by something.  They are 
all rather small (less than 12") long and are not like anything else in the 
area.  I have been curious for some time as to what gave them the metallic tone 
quality.  Your reference to high heat makes me think they may have been brought 
in from another area where there may have been some volcanic activity.  And 
then again it may be that they are just rocks and this e-mail will confirm for 
all that I have rocks in my head.
 
Ken


Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the 
rain. 
 
From: pjca...@gwi.net
Date: Sun, 25 May 2014 20:36:34 -0400
To: txcavem...@yahoo.com
CC: s...@caver.net; texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

Karen:  I'm surprised no one else has offered an explanation as of yet.  My 
guess, in part because I am potter, is that it has to do with the crystalline 
structure of the "stones".  The reason I mention pottery is because many of my 
pots, when they come out of the very high temperature firing in my propane 
fired kiln (roughly 2350 F or cone 10 as the pyrometric cone number is called), 
have a wonderful and sustained ring to them when I rap my fingers on the rim of 
some pieces.  Some can sustain that ring for half a minute or so.  During the 
firing when the clay body is vitrifying and melting the various ingredients 
together into one another, a crystalline structure develops.  Clay is basically 
composed of silica, alumina and various oxides such as potassium, sodium, 
lithium, calcium and a small handful of others that lower the melting 
temperature of the silica and alumina components.  When they interact at the 
high temperature I fire to, that crystalline structure bonds all the 
ingredients into a very tight, hard material, extremely resistant to chemical 
attack.  In general, the higher the firing temperature, the longer the ringing 
sound will last.  As such, stoneware and porcelain pottery tends to have the 
better and longer lasting ringing sound than lower fired clay bodies such as 
earthenware.

Obviously not all stones (and I am assuming you are including stalactites and 
various other calcite formations in this category) are formed by heat reaction. 
 Plenty of them, such as calcite formations, occur through crystalline growth 
without the application of heat.  While those produced at higher temperatures 
may be stronger on a molecular level, that doesn't mean that they won't produce 
a ringing sound as a result of that crystalline growth.  Plenty of stals have a 
long and sustained ring to them.

There is also another factor involved in a prolonged ringing sound.  In the 
case of my pots, the most pronounced ringing comes from bowl shapes.  A platter 
may ring as well, but the longest and purest ringing tones come from bowl 
shapes.  Mugs don't ring at all, nor do plates, but the molecular structure of 
the clay is essentially identical in all of them.  The same could be said for 
stalactites.  Short, stubby stals don't do much more than just clunk when they 
are rapped by a finger.   Longer stals have a much greater resonance and it is 
likely due to the longer length vs girth of the formation.  Soda straws don't 
ring, but a long stalactite certainly is much more likely to sustain a ring 
than virtually any other formation.

This is certainly a very simplified version of why things ring and I hope that 
other more knowledgable people will respond as well.  This is based mostly on 
empirical evidence from my own experience as a potter and a caver.  Perhaps 
someone from Luray Caverns should answer this question as they are the ones 
with the "stalacpipe organ" which uses a keyboard driven hammer device attached 
to various "tuned" stalactites throughout the cave.  It's pretty impressive

Peter Jones



On May 25, 2014, at 9:57 AM, Karen Perry wrote:

Does anyone know why some stones ring or have a musical quality?
Thanks,
Karen
___
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___
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Re: [SWR] Background on the FOIA request to BLM

2014-05-26 Thread DONALD G. DAVIS
Louise Power  wrote:

>Email bombing and bullying are not productive ways of dealing with a=
>ny executive.

Citizens sending critical e-mails to federal employees can be 
annoying, but it is not bullying.  Bullying is a power-relations affair, 
something done by the stronger to the weaker.  Who has the greater power 
here?  Cavers, with their keyboards?  Or BLM, whose rules are enforceable 
by fines or imprisonment ultimately supported by armed force?

--Donald
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Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Peter Jones
Ask Dave Belski as he is known to have rocks in his head already and can 
confirm that.

I should have mentioned that nothing makes me happier when I open a kiln firing 
and give some of my hot bowls a rap on the rim.  When they ring I just know 
that they are well made, well fired and exactly as they should be.

Ding Dong

Peter



On May 26, 2014, at 10:10 AM, Ken Harrington wrote:

> Peter,
>  
> Interesting!  There is a pile of stones up in the area of Brantley Lake that 
> have a distinctive metallic ring to them when struck by something.  They are 
> all rather small (less than 12") long and are not like anything else in the 
> area.  I have been curious for some time as to what gave them the metallic 
> tone quality.  Your reference to high heat makes me think they may have been 
> brought in from another area where there may have been some volcanic 
> activity.  And then again it may be that they are just rocks and this e-mail 
> will confirm for all that I have rocks in my head.
>  
> Ken
> 
> 
> Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the 
> rain. 
>  
> From: pjca...@gwi.net
> Date: Sun, 25 May 2014 20:36:34 -0400
> To: txcavem...@yahoo.com
> CC: s...@caver.net; texascavers@texascavers.com
> Subject: Re: [SWR] Ringing stones
> 
> Karen:  I'm surprised no one else has offered an explanation as of yet.  My 
> guess, in part because I am potter, is that it has to do with the crystalline 
> structure of the "stones".  The reason I mention pottery is because many of 
> my pots, when they come out of the very high temperature firing in my propane 
> fired kiln (roughly 2350 F or cone 10 as the pyrometric cone number is 
> called), have a wonderful and sustained ring to them when I rap my fingers on 
> the rim of some pieces.  Some can sustain that ring for half a minute or so.  
> During the firing when the clay body is vitrifying and melting the various 
> ingredients together into one another, a crystalline structure develops.  
> Clay is basically composed of silica, alumina and various oxides such as 
> potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium and a small handful of others that lower 
> the melting temperature of the silica and alumina components.  When they 
> interact at the high temperature I fire to, that crystalline structure bonds 
> all the ingredients into a very tight, hard material, extremely resistant to 
> chemical attack.  In general, the higher the firing temperature, the longer 
> the ringing sound will last.  As such, stoneware and porcelain pottery tends 
> to have the better and longer lasting ringing sound than lower fired clay 
> bodies such as earthenware.
> 
> Obviously not all stones (and I am assuming you are including stalactites and 
> various other calcite formations in this category) are formed by heat 
> reaction.  Plenty of them, such as calcite formations, occur through 
> crystalline growth without the application of heat.  While those produced at 
> higher temperatures may be stronger on a molecular level, that doesn't mean 
> that they won't produce a ringing sound as a result of that crystalline 
> growth.  Plenty of stals have a long and sustained ring to them.
> 
> There is also another factor involved in a prolonged ringing sound.  In the 
> case of my pots, the most pronounced ringing comes from bowl shapes.  A 
> platter may ring as well, but the longest and purest ringing tones come from 
> bowl shapes.  Mugs don't ring at all, nor do plates, but the molecular 
> structure of the clay is essentially identical in all of them.  The same 
> could be said for stalactites.  Short, stubby stals don't do much more than 
> just clunk when they are rapped by a finger.   Longer stals have a much 
> greater resonance and it is likely due to the longer length vs girth of the 
> formation.  Soda straws don't ring, but a long stalactite certainly is much 
> more likely to sustain a ring than virtually any other formation.
> 
> This is certainly a very simplified version of why things ring and I hope 
> that other more knowledgable people will respond as well.  This is based 
> mostly on empirical evidence from my own experience as a potter and a caver.  
> Perhaps someone from Luray Caverns should answer this question as they are 
> the ones with the "stalacpipe organ" which uses a keyboard driven hammer 
> device attached to various "tuned" stalactites throughout the cave.  It's 
> pretty impressive
> 
> Peter Jones
> 
> 
> 
> On May 25, 2014, at 9:57 AM, Karen Perry wrote:
> 
> Does anyone know why some stones ring or have a musical quality?
> Thanks,
> Karen
> ___
> SWR mailing list
> s...@caver.net
> http://lists.caver.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/swr
> ___
> This list is provided free as a courtesy of CAVERNET
> 
> 
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Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Ken Harrington
Peter,
 
Interesting!  There is a pile of stones up in the area of Brantley Lake that 
have a distinctive metallic ring to them when struck by something.  They are 
all rather small (less than 12") long and are not like anything else in the 
area.  I have been curious for some time as to what gave them the metallic tone 
quality.  Your reference to high heat makes me think they may have been brought 
in from another area where there may have been some volcanic activity.  And 
then again it may be that they are just rocks and this e-mail will confirm for 
all that I have rocks in my head.
 
Ken


Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the 
rain. 
 
From: pjca...@gwi.net
Date: Sun, 25 May 2014 20:36:34 -0400
To: txcavem...@yahoo.com
CC: s...@caver.net; texascavers@texascavers.com
Subject: Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

Karen:  I'm surprised no one else has offered an explanation as of yet.  My 
guess, in part because I am potter, is that it has to do with the crystalline 
structure of the "stones".  The reason I mention pottery is because many of my 
pots, when they come out of the very high temperature firing in my propane 
fired kiln (roughly 2350 F or cone 10 as the pyrometric cone number is called), 
have a wonderful and sustained ring to them when I rap my fingers on the rim of 
some pieces.  Some can sustain that ring for half a minute or so.  During the 
firing when the clay body is vitrifying and melting the various ingredients 
together into one another, a crystalline structure develops.  Clay is basically 
composed of silica, alumina and various oxides such as potassium, sodium, 
lithium, calcium and a small handful of others that lower the melting 
temperature of the silica and alumina components.  When they interact at the 
high temperature I fire to, that crystalline structure bonds all the 
ingredients into a very tight, hard material, extremely resistant to chemical 
attack.  In general, the higher the firing temperature, the longer the ringing 
sound will last.  As such, stoneware and porcelain pottery tends to have the 
better and longer lasting ringing sound than lower fired clay bodies such as 
earthenware.
Obviously not all stones (and I am assuming you are including stalactites and 
various other calcite formations in this category) are formed by heat reaction. 
 Plenty of them, such as calcite formations, occur through crystalline growth 
without the application of heat.  While those produced at higher temperatures 
may be stronger on a molecular level, that doesn't mean that they won't produce 
a ringing sound as a result of that crystalline growth.  Plenty of stals have a 
long and sustained ring to them.
There is also another factor involved in a prolonged ringing sound.  In the 
case of my pots, the most pronounced ringing comes from bowl shapes.  A platter 
may ring as well, but the longest and purest ringing tones come from bowl 
shapes.  Mugs don't ring at all, nor do plates, but the molecular structure of 
the clay is essentially identical in all of them.  The same could be said for 
stalactites.  Short, stubby stals don't do much more than just clunk when they 
are rapped by a finger.   Longer stals have a much greater resonance and it is 
likely due to the longer length vs girth of the formation.  Soda straws don't 
ring, but a long stalactite certainly is much more likely to sustain a ring 
than virtually any other formation.
This is certainly a very simplified version of why things ring and I hope that 
other more knowledgable people will respond as well.  This is based mostly on 
empirical evidence from my own experience as a potter and a caver.  Perhaps 
someone from Luray Caverns should answer this question as they are the ones 
with the "stalacpipe organ" which uses a keyboard driven hammer device attached 
to various "tuned" stalactites throughout the cave.  It's pretty impressive
Peter Jones




On May 25, 2014, at 9:57 AM, Karen Perry wrote:Does anyone know why some stones 
ring or have a musical 
quality?Thanks,Karen___
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[Texascavers] Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread dirtdoc


Interesting comments, Peter. Brings back an unusual memory. 

In the late 50's, when I was a student at RPI, I found myself touring Luray 
Caverns. An old guy with a rubber mallet and a tuning fork was thumping around 
in the cave. I wandered away from the tour and started talking to him. It 
turned out that his helper had some sort family emergency and I ended up being 
hired to assist him for most of a week. It was a very trial and error process. 
He thumped around with his little rubber mallet until he found the exact tone 
that he wanted. My job was to carefully mark the spot and label it as he 
instructed me. He had a check-sheet with the list of notes, and a detailed 
layout of the room so he could locate the right spot again. He was still at it 
when I left, but was down to a few elusive notes that he was trying to find. 

Yes, I have been back, and the results ARE impressive. I've always thought of 
it as the original surround sound. 

DirtDoc. 


Re: [SWR] Ringing stones

2014-05-26 Thread Peter Jones
Karen:  I'm surprised no one else has offered an explanation as of yet.  My 
guess, in part because I am potter, is that it has to do with the crystalline 
structure of the "stones".  The reason I mention pottery is because many of my 
pots, when they come out of the very high temperature firing in my propane 
fired kiln (roughly 2350 F or cone 10 as the pyrometric cone number is called), 
have a wonderful and sustained ring to them when I rap my fingers on the rim of 
some pieces.  Some can sustain that ring for half a minute or so.  During the 
firing when the clay body is vitrifying and melting the various ingredients 
together into one another, a crystalline structure develops.  Clay is basically 
composed of silica, alumina and various oxides such as potassium, sodium, 
lithium, calcium and a small handful of others that lower the melting 
temperature of the silica and alumina components.  When they interact at the 
high temperature I fire to, that crystalline structure bonds all the 
ingredients into a very tight, hard material, extremely resistant to chemical 
attack.  In general, the higher the firing temperature, the longer the ringing 
sound will last.  As such, stoneware and porcelain pottery tends to have the 
better and longer lasting ringing sound than lower fired clay bodies such as 
earthenware.

Obviously not all stones (and I am assuming you are including stalactites and 
various other calcite formations in this category) are formed by heat reaction. 
 Plenty of them, such as calcite formations, occur through crystalline growth 
without the application of heat.  While those produced at higher temperatures 
may be stronger on a molecular level, that doesn't mean that they won't produce 
a ringing sound as a result of that crystalline growth.  Plenty of stals have a 
long and sustained ring to them.

There is also another factor involved in a prolonged ringing sound.  In the 
case of my pots, the most pronounced ringing comes from bowl shapes.  A platter 
may ring as well, but the longest and purest ringing tones come from bowl 
shapes.  Mugs don't ring at all, nor do plates, but the molecular structure of 
the clay is essentially identical in all of them.  The same could be said for 
stalactites.  Short, stubby stals don't do much more than just clunk when they 
are rapped by a finger.   Longer stals have a much greater resonance and it is 
likely due to the longer length vs girth of the formation.  Soda straws don't 
ring, but a long stalactite certainly is much more likely to sustain a ring 
than virtually any other formation.

This is certainly a very simplified version of why things ring and I hope that 
other more knowledgable people will respond as well.  This is based mostly on 
empirical evidence from my own experience as a potter and a caver.  Perhaps 
someone from Luray Caverns should answer this question as they are the ones 
with the "stalacpipe organ" which uses a keyboard driven hammer device attached 
to various "tuned" stalactites throughout the cave.  It's pretty impressive

Peter Jones



On May 25, 2014, at 9:57 AM, Karen Perry wrote:

> Does anyone know why some stones ring or have a musical quality?
> Thanks,
> Karen
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