The scientific, rational approach to the knowledge of Earth can be complemented and enhanced with an emotional approach by means of arts. Sonification of sedimentary series, by converting distinct lithology, facies or geochemical parameters into notes, and bed thickness into duration of sounds, provides a new viewpoint on both their sequential features and the cultural meaning of geoheritage. A total of 14 musical compositions have been achieved according to that procedure, based on successions of diverse ages and sedimentary environments within the Iberian Peninsula. Some of these successions exhibit cyclic features that have been analyzed by a number of authors. Cyclostratigraphy shows how certain sedimentary patterns can reveal climatic oscillations related to periodic variations of Earth orbital cycles. Geomusic elaborated from sonification of such sedimentary cycles could be therefore linked with Music of the Spheres postulated by Pythagoras in ancient Greece. Its hidden message deals with asking for a New Culture of Earth, for a renewed, friendly relationship with our planet. Its applied development could extend to soundtracks of scientific documentaries, background music at museums or geoparks, or performances at outreach events, or as a motivating factor in Earth Sciences learning.

Geomusic as a New Pedagogical and Outreach Resource: Interpreting Geoheritage with All the Senses

Music has long served as a bridge between science and nature, allowing for the artistic expression of natural and human‐made phenomena. While music has been used in geomorphology as an engaging teaching strategy, its application in specific scientific inquiries within geomorphology remains relatively unexplored. Drawing on the morphological similarities between music and terrain relief, this work introduced a novel music‐based method for modelling and expressing terrain relief based on the drainage basin profile (DBP). It converts terrain relief into pitches and time values according to mapping rules and then describes terrain relief in an audible form. Based on 5 sample areas and 360 drainage basins on the Loess Plateau, we developed the application of the proposed method on four core geomorphic tasks, including landform interpretation, analysis, recognition and classification. Experimental results show that (1) terrain music can interpret the terrain relief and landform evolution processes through its musical structure and rhythmic variations; (2) music derivatives are related to different terrain features, such as terrain relief, terrain variation intensity, landform evolution degree and terrain complexity, and have a well‐functioning relationship with a series of conventional terrain derivatives; (3) leveraging machine learning techniques, the terrain music method is effective for landform recognition, achieving an overall accuracy of 88.85% and a mean accuracy of 88.85%; and (4) via a case study in Northern Shaanxi, music modelling successfully divided it into 12 distinct landform regions and 8 landform types. Different landform regions exhibit clear regional boundaries and gradual transition zones, while specific landform regions share prominent terrain, spatial clustering and landform processes. Our delineation provides reasonable and effective landform differentiation but captures additional bed‐rock mountain features compared with a traditional method. This study highlights that music is not only an artistic expression but also a valuable research paradigm for a wide range of geomorphic tasks, offering fresh perspectives and enhancing our understanding of loess landforms. The results show a promising effort to integrate music theory into practical geomorphic tasks, demonstrating the potential of using music as a medium for conveying and analysing spatial information in geomorphology.

Using music and music‐based analysis to model and to classify terrain in geomorphology

A wide range of teaching strategies have been employed to improve the effectiveness of STEM education. In some studies, music has been used as a tool to help memorizing scientific concepts. However, music (without lyrics) can also be considered in itself as an interesting way to explore and explain the complexity of both natural and artificial structures, and a way to guide learners of every age towards the deep understanding of the difficult concept of molecular order. For this purpose, we developed a scientifically based “decryption” method to assign a given sound to single atoms within crystals. All sound parameters (pitch, duration, timbre, and dynamics) are based on physical and chemical properties of the atoms involved in the structure. The “crystal soundtrack” is accompanied by animations highlighting the position of each atom considered in its context. Possible applications of this novel educational approach range from chemistry (atomic structures, the periodic table, the octet rule), to Earth sciences (the structure of natural crystals), material sciences (artificial structures), and biology (macromolecules such as sugars and nucleic acids). Musical examples will be presented and discussed.

The Music of Molecules: Novel Approaches for STEM Education

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The Music of Molecules: Novel Approaches for STEM Education