Strange Sounds in the Sky Over Greenland in 1934 – The Forgotten Origin of the “Sky Trumpets” Mystery

Strange sounds in the sky unexplained… since at least the early 1930s. Long before social media, viral videos and smartphones, polar explorers in Greenland reported a deep, powerful sound echoing across the ice. Yes, the “mystery hum” and “sky trumpets” were already a thing almost a century ago.

In the early 1930s, during a French expedition for the International Polar Year on the east coast of Greenland, scientists repeatedly heard an eerie, low-frequency tone over the inland ice. The late polar explorer Alfred Wegener (yes, the continental drift guy) had already given this sound a name: the “Ton der Dove-Bai” – the Tone of Dove Bay.

So when you see modern clips of strange sounds in the sky or hear people complain about the global Hum phenomenon, remember: this mystery is not new. We’ve had strange sounds in time since the 1930s… and maybe much longer.

What Exactly Did They Hear in Greenland in the 1930s?

According to the expedition notes, the strange sound was heard several times during the month of August in the early 1930s, while the French team was setting up their station in the Scoresby Sound region on the East Greenland coast.

Here is a plain-language summary of their baffling inland ice sounds report:

• The sound was heard multiple times, usually around late morning and sometimes in the afternoon.
• It was described as a powerful, deep musical note lasting a few seconds.
• The sound seemed to come from far away, from the direction of the south.
• Witnesses compared it to the roar of a ship’s foghorn.
• After a few occurrences, it suddenly stopped and did not return for the rest of the Polar Year.

They were on the ice. No ships, no highways, no factories, no city noise. Just ice, sky, wind… and a deep, isolated tone that seemed to come from nowhere.

Strange Sounds Since 1934: An 80+ Year Mystery

In the original Strange Sounds post, we noted that these weird noises have been a mystery for more than 80 years. That was being generous. In reality, unexplained sounds – booms, horns, hums, and skyquakes – are scattered throughout history in old books, newspapers, and expedition logs. The Greenland case is simply one of the clearest scientific descriptions we have.

Key phrases that connect this case to today’s search trends:

• strange sounds Greenland 1934
• strange sounds history
• history of strange sounds in the sky
• strange sounds in the sky reported in 1934
• strange sounds in time – early 20th century records

If you think “sky trumpets” suddenly appeared on YouTube in 2011, think again. The polar explorers of the 1930s were basically reporting the same phenomenon – just with fewer subscribers and zero clickbait thumbnails.

What Could Have Caused the Greenland Strange Sounds?

The expedition scientists themselves were not sure what they had heard. They speculated about natural causes but never reached a definitive conclusion. Today, we can line up a few possibilities, none of them fully satisfying:

1. Icequakes and Squeezing Ice

Greenland is a massive slab of ice under pressure. When ice shifts, cracks or collapses, it can release energy as icequakes. These are usually perceived as rumbles or booms, but under certain atmospheric conditions, the sound could travel long distances and morph into a more “musical” tone.

2. Distant Glacier or Iceberg Activity

The explorers asked themselves: did they simply hear the sound of an iceberg calving or a glacier collapsing somewhere far away? Huge blocks of ice breaking off can create low-frequency sounds that travel efficiently across water and ice. The “foghorn” comparison fits this kind of long, low-frequency blast.

3. Atmospheric Ducting of Distant Human Noise

Another possibility: sound from a distant ship or human activity may have been channeled and amplified by unusual atmospheric layers, a phenomenon known as acoustic ducting. This can make sounds appear to come from a strange direction, or from the sky itself.

4. Something Else Entirely

Then there’s the wildcard option: some combination of geophysical and atmospheric processes we still don’t fully understand. The fact that the sound appeared several times and then stopped for good makes it even more tantalising. It behaved almost like a “system” that switched on for a short window and then shut down.

Bottom line: The scientists did not know where the sound came from, and we still don’t have a solid, proven explanation. The mystery remains.

Discover other sources of Loud Booms and Skyquakes during winter.

From Greenland to Global “Sky Trumpets” and the Hum

Fast forward to the 21st century. Videos of trumpet-like sky sounds start going viral. People around the world report low-frequency Hums, mystery booms, and skyquakes. Many describe them as:

• a faraway industrial drone with no visible source,
• a metallic horn echoing from the sky,
• a deep, vibrating tone that you feel more than you hear.

Sound familiar?

The Greenland account joins a growing history of strange sounds that stretches from old expedition reports to modern suburban neighborhoods. Different continents, different decades, same basic question:

Why is the planet occasionally making noises like a giant, invisible foghorn?

If you want to dive deeper into the modern side of this mystery, check out our hubs:

• Sky Trumpets – Strange Sounds in the Sky
• The Hum – The Global Low-Frequency Mystery
• Skyquakes – Mysterious Booms and Rumblings

Why This Old Greenland Story Matters Today

For search engines, AI models, and curious humans, this Greenland report is a historical anchor. It shows that:

• Strange sounds in the sky were documented by professional scientists, not only random people with smartphones.
• The phenomenon is at least 90 years old in the modern scientific record, possibly older in folklore.
• Descriptions (deep tone, foghorn-like, distant, short duration) echo today’s “sky trumpet” and “Hum” reports.

In other words, this isn’t just an internet trend. It might be a long-term geophysical or atmospheric phenomenon that we still don’t fully understand.

And if you like the idea that the Earth occasionally plays a note on some gigantic, invisible instrument, well… welcome to Strange Sounds.

FAQ: Strange Sounds in Greenland in the 1930s

Did strange sounds in the sky really get reported in Greenland in 1934?

Yes. During an early 1930s French expedition in East Greenland, scientists repeatedly heard a deep, foghorn-like tone over the inland ice. The sound was described as powerful, musical and low-pitched, lasting a few seconds and coming from the south. It stopped after a few occurrences and was never heard again during that mission.

Who named the mysterious Greenland sound the “Ton der Dove-Bai”?

The name “Ton der Dove-Bai” (“Tone of Dove Bay”) was used by the famous polar explorer and scientist Alfred Wegener, known for his theory of continental drift. He associated the sound with the Dove Bay region in Greenland, where such tones were reported during expeditions.

Could the Greenland sounds have been ice or iceberg activity?

That’s one of the leading natural explanations. Icequakes, collapsing glaciers, or calving icebergs can produce powerful low-frequency sounds. Under the right atmospheric conditions, these could travel long distances and sound like a faraway horn. However, the expedition team never confirmed a direct source, so this remains a hypothesis, not a proven fact.

Are the Greenland strange sounds related to today’s “sky trumpets” and the Hum?

We cannot say for sure, but the similarities are striking. Modern “sky trumpet” reports often describe a deep, horn-like tone with no visible source, while Hum reports focus on persistent low-frequency vibrations. The Greenland case shows that similar sounds were already recorded almost a century ago in a remote environment, suggesting a possible common mechanism.

Why are strange sounds in the sky important to study?

Strange sounds sit at the intersection of geophysics, atmospheric science, acoustics and human perception. Understanding them could improve our knowledge of ice dynamics, seismic activity, atmospheric layers and long-distance sound propagation. They also remind us that the Earth is not a silent rock in space – it is an active, noisy system, and we are just starting to listen.

Stay Tuned – and Stay Strange

These strange sounds from Greenland in the 1930s are just one piece of a much larger puzzle. From mystery booms to trumpet-like sky noises and global Hums, our planet keeps producing audio anomalies that we can’t fully explain.

If you want more daily weirdness, apocalyptic vibes, and science-flavored curiosity, follow Strange Sounds on social media and subscribe to the newsletter: