The seemingly immovable Matterhorn building – one of the highest peaks in the Alps – moves back and forth every two seconds.
This is the conclusion of researchers led by the Technical University of Munich who measured the vibrations of the iconic mountain that would normally be invisible.
The team explains that the motion is stimulated by the earth’s seismic energy originating from the world’s oceans, earthquakes, and human activity.
The Matterhorn is located on the border between Switzerland and Italy and with its peak rising 14,692 feet (4,478 meters) above sea level, overlooks the city of Zermatt.
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The seemingly immovable Matterhorn building (pictured) – one of the highest peaks in the Alps – actually moves back and forth every two seconds
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This is the conclusion of researchers led by the Technical University of Munich who measured the vibrations of the iconic mountain that would normally be invisible. Photo: seismometer mounted on top of Matterhorn
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What is mother?
The Matterhorn is a mountain in the Alps located on the border between Switzerland and Italy.
It has a height of 14,700 feet (4,478 m).
The Matterhorn was first referred to in writing as “Monte Cervin” in 1581, and later also as “Monte Silvio” and “Monte Servino”.
The German name “Matterhorn” first appeared in 1682.
Between 1865 and late summer 2011, an estimated 500 climbers died on the Matterhorn.
Every year, between 300 and 400 people attempt to climb the summit with a guide; Of them, 20 failed to reach the top.
About 3,500 people handle the Matterhorn without a guide each year; About 65 percent fall back on the road, usually due to a lack of fitness or an inadequate head for height.
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From tuning forks to bridges, all objects vibrate when they generate so-called natural frequencies, which depend on their geometry and physical properties.
“We wanted to see if such resonant vibrations could also be detected in a mountain as large as the Matterhorn,” said paper author and earth scientist Samuel Weber, who conducted the research while living at the Technical University of Munich.
To find out, Dr. Weber and his colleagues installed several seismographs on the Matterhorn, the highest being just below the summit, 14,665 feet (4,470 meters) above sea level.
Another one is placed in the Solvay bivouac – a makeshift shelter on Hörnligrat, northeastern ridge of the Matterhorn, dating from 1917 – while the measuring station at the foot of the mountain serves as a reference.
Each sensor in the measurement network is set to automatically send a recording of its movement to the Swiss Seismological Service.
By analyzing the seismometer readings, the researchers were able to derive the frequency and reverberation of the mountain echoes.
They found that the Matterhorn oscillates both in the north-south direction with a frequency of 0.42 Hz and in the east-west direction with the same frequency.
By accelerating the measured vibrations 80 times, the team was able to make the vibrations of the surrounding Matterhorn audible to the human ear – as shown in the video below. (Headphones are recommended for very low frequency sound.)
On average, the Matterhorn’s movements were small, in the nanometer to micrometer range, but at the peaks, they were found to be up to 14 times stronger than those recorded at the foot of the mountain.
The team explains that this is because the peaks are able to move more freely while the mountain slopes are stable, somewhat similar to the way treetops sway more in the wind.
The team also found that amplification of ground motion at the Matterhorn carried over to earthquakes as well – a fact, they added, that may have important implications for slope stability in the event of even a strong earthquake.
“Mountain areas that experience amplified ground motion tend to be more susceptible to landslides, rock, and rock damage when shaken by a strong earthquake,” said the paper’s author and geologist Jeff Moore of the University of Utah.
Seismometer positioned on Solvay bivouac (pictured) – an emergency shelter on Hörnligrat, northeast ridge of the Matterhorn, since 1917
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The team explains that the motion is stimulated by the earth’s seismic energy originating from the world’s oceans, earthquakes, and human activity. Photo: seismometer mounted on top of Matterhorn
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Vibrations like those detected by the team are not unique in the Matterhorn, the team said, where multiple peaks are thought to move in the same way.
In fact, as part of the study, researchers from the Swiss Seismological Service conducted an additional survey at the peak of Gross Methen in central Switzerland, a mountain shaped similar to the Matterhorn but much smaller.
Analysis revealed that the Grosse Mythen oscillates at a frequency about four times higher than the Matterhorn, because the smaller object vibrates at a higher frequency than the larger object.
These examples are one of the first times the team has examined the vibrations of such a large object, as previous research has focused on small entities, such as rock formations in Arches National Park in Utah.
Professor Moore commented: “It is interesting to see that our simulation approach also works for mountains as large as the Matterhorn and that the results are confirmed by the measurement data.”
The full results of this study are published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letter.
The Matterhorn – which straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy – is 14,692 feet (4,478 meters) above sea level, overlooking the city of Zermatt
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