Summary
Since the early 1990s, some residents of Taos, New Mexico, have reported a persistent low hum that others standing nearby cannot hear. Often compared to a distant diesel engine, the sound has disturbed sleep, followed witnesses into apparently quiet surroundings and driven some residents to search desperately for its source. In 1993, scientists equipped with acoustic, seismic and electromagnetic instruments investigated the phenomenon — but failed to detect a signal that could explain what the witnesses were experiencing. More than three decades later, no single cause has been established for the Taos Hum.
Additional Notes
Reports of the Taos Hum became prominent in the early 1990s, when residents began comparing experiences of a persistent low-frequency sound. Witnesses described it as a distant diesel engine, an idling tractor, throbbing power lines or a low grinding noise. It was often most noticeable in quiet surroundings and at night, yet only some people could hear it. For several witnesses, escaping the sound was difficult. Taos resident K.C. Grams initially searched her own adobe house for its source, but later reported hearing the same hum while camping about 30 miles away. Bob and Catanya Saltzman said the phenomenon repeatedly disturbed their sleep and eventually became involved in gathering accounts from other residents. In 1993, complaints reached members of Congress and prompted an investigation involving the University of New Mexico, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U.S. Air Force's Phillips Laboratory. Researchers used acoustic, seismic and electromagnetic equipment and worked directly with people who reported hearing the hum. Despite the extensive measurements, they found no unusual environmental signal that corresponded with the witnesses' experiences. Possible explanations have included distant machinery, unusual sensitivity to low-frequency background noise, tinnitus or other auditory mechanisms, geological processes and military technology. None has provided a single demonstrated explanation for the Taos reports. The central puzzle therefore remains remarkably simple: some people hear a persistent sound strongly enough to disrupt their lives, while others nearby hear nothing — and instruments deployed specifically to find its source failed to identify one.
The Location Today
Taos remains an inhabited town in northern New Mexico and there is no single physical site associated with the phenomenon. Reports historically came from Taos and its surrounding high-desert communities, while no fixed source of the Hum was identified during the scientific investigation.
- Environment
- Desert, Urban Area
- Time of Day
- Mostly Night
- Evidence Level
- Investigated Case
- Visiting the Location
- Free Access
- Ownership of the Location
- Mixed