What are the Origins of these Weird Pings?
From the floor in one of Canada's northernmost territories a strange pinging is happening..and officials have yet to identify the source or cause. And it isn't necessarily new, in fact it has been happening for months. Link
The pinging can be heard in the aptly named Fury and Hecla Strait, a channel of water in the Nunavut region of Canada. Canadian Department of National Defence was informed of these strange noises and have searched for its cause, but it has not been a fruitful search and they came up blank.
They had a variety of theories. They did not rule out it could be a submarine at first, though they quickly found that was not the case. Ashley Lemire, a department spokeswoman, said that various multisensor searches in the area, including a 1.5-hour acoustic search, failed to detect any anomalies that could account for the sound."The crew did not detect any surface or subsurface contacts," Lemire told The Guardian. "At this time the Department of National Defence does not intend to do any further investigations." Several reports were passed to the military, which sent a CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft to investigate on November 1st.
More concerning is hunters in the area claim the sound is scaring away wildlife. This is an interesting development, as if it was a natural or naturally occurring noise it might have less affect on the wildlife.
In fact, legislative assembly member, George Qulaut has been quoted saying, "That passage is a migratory route for bowhead whales, and also bearded seals and ringed seals. There would be so many in that particular area," Qulaut said, recalling his own days of hunting there. "This summer, there were none." So, not only is it driving away animals...it is completely diverting them from their regular migratory routes.
Other theories have arisen. For example, they claimed a mining company that has operated nearby. However, the company denies having any equipment in the water. Other locals have surmised that Greenpeace could be behind the sound, scaring wildlife away from the hunting ground. However, a spokesperson for the environmental organization has denied these allegations.
Even more interesting, not everyone can hear it. Another local legislator, George Qulaut, told CBC that he couldn’t. However, it should be noted that said he is nearly deaf. But boaters passing through the area have said they heard it, as well as a number of callers to a local radio show
At this time the Canadian Department of National Defence does not intend to do any further investigations.