The Taos Hum
A low droning sound heard by some residents of Taos, New Mexico; an early-1990s study found at least 2 percent of people there could hear it.
1990 CE · 36.41, -105.57 · status: disputed
The account
Each hearer reported a slightly different pitch between 32 and 80 Hz. Similar 'hums' have been reported in the UK, Windsor in Canada, Australia and elsewhere, some traced to industrial plants. In the UK the hum has been linked to at least three suicides.
The sceptical view
The Hum does not seem to be one phenomenon: some cases have mechanical sources, while others may be tinnitus or sounds produced by the ear itself, which researchers at Taos considered.
The researched reading
A real experience for a minority of people, with no single cause. Some hums come from machinery and infrastructure, others from the ear and brain; the Taos case was probably a mix.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something in the surroundings | 40% | Many hums elsewhere (Windsor, Kokomo, Bristol) were traced at least partly to industrial plants, compressors, pipelines or power infrastructure, whose low-frequency sound travels far and is felt more than heard by sensitive people. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 32% | The 1993–94 study found no acoustic or seismic signal to match, and hearers matched different pitches; low-frequency tinnitus, spontaneous otoacoustic emissions and heightened attention to faint sounds explain much of what individuals hear. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 12% | Natural low-frequency sources (microseisms from ocean waves, wind on terrain) produce infrasound and low tones that some people perceive. |
| A cultural story | 8% | Press coverage of the Taos Hum made residents listen for it, and the name gave scattered complaints a shared identity. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 6% | Some hum cases have never been traced to a source, but no measurement has found a physical signal beyond known kinds. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 2% | Hearers include people with real distress; there is no sign of invention. |
Official position: A study led by the University of New Mexico and Sandia found about 2% of residents heard it but found no acoustic or electromagnetic source.
Connections in the atlas
- Bell Island Boom
- ? What is the Taos Hum?