'Coolest Sound': Eerie Pings of Alaska Man's Skipping Rocks Explained

[jakeXT]

A self-proclaimed "professional YouTuber" has scored a viral video hit with his discovery of the sci-fi sounds produced by skipping rocks across a frozen lake.

The winter phenomenon is old hat to kids from cold weather states, but for Cory Williams, the eerie pings and pews were jaw-droppingly bizarre.

"This is the coolest sound I've ever heard," Williams tells his girlfriend, who is filming the scene. An apparent "cheechako" (Alaska newcomer), Williams moved to Anchorage in August and is documenting his culture shock in a YouTube video log. (The relevant part starts at around 3:30 of this video.)

While Alaska's winter may hold a wealth of amazing new experiences for Williams, for acoustics expert Mark Hamilton, the sounds illustrate a classic acoustics problem. [Listen to 6 Mysterious Sounds of the Deep Sea (Video)]

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/coolest-sound-eerie-pings-alaska-mans-skipping-rocks-explained-n227706

[Warpy]

1. Neat video after about 3:45

I loved skipping stones. There are plenty of nice, flat skipping stones here. There's just not much water to skip them across.

[jakeXT]

2. As a kid I used light ones and they often drifted to the right or left /nt

[Warpy]

3. I've even skipped them at the ocean

having them clip the tops of waves coming in.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. This video cracks me up.

What an exuberant guy.