Super Quiet Spot in Southern Utah Recorded Almost Zero Noise

Sometimes you need some peace and quiet. Just ask anyone who has experienced a 12-year-old birthday party or a day spent at opposing political street protests. If you want the ultimate quiet place to decompress, you will find it in Utah. 

National Monument Holds Silence as One of Its Treasures 

Britt Mace is a professor at Southern Utah University in Cedar City and has studied quiet places. He is an environmental psychologist and has been interested in the effect of background noise on people and the environment. 

He has recorded a spot in the Grand Staircase National Monument that just might be the nearest to silent place on earth ever recorded. It was the middle of winter with snow on the ground that helped absorb the few sound waves bouncing around. 

It came in at 5.3 to 5.5 decibels, which is really low. Normal breathing is about 10 dB and a mosquito makes a racket at 30 decibels.  

The Problems of Noise Pollution 

There are well documented studies on the impact of constant noise from machines, airplanes, and industrial sites. It increases stress and anxiety and can lead to medical problems like heart disease and depression. 

There has been a push since the 1970s to reduce noise in urban areas. Most of us are so used to the constant background noise that we may not realize the effect on us. A weekend trip to the Utah wilderness might be the trip you didn’t know you needed. 

Read More: Wild Horses Run Through Nevada’s Military Test Range

Just don’t all of us head for the National Monuments all at once. That would defeat the purpose.