Soil sounds of Vilnius

Listen to soil sounds, produced by water and soil macrofauna, such as earthworms, centipedes, larvae, etc.. Comparing sound abundance can give a direct indication into soil health, namely the amount of living organisms within and the quality of soil structure.

01    Vingio parkas. Park covering 162 ha, consisting mostly of pine trees, spruces and birches, some of which are 200-300 years old. It is located in the middle of a river bend, which creates a coastal ecosystem, making a suitable habitat for willows, black alders and box elders.

Sounds are abundant, which is in line with the observed biodiversity and soft soil. The forest has had time to develop enough for the soil to have created a tunnel system and a suitable habitat for the organisms to live inside.



02    Kūdrų parkas. Former yard of a monastery shaped by the water bodies of the area, nature and human activity. Žiurponiai springs are an important water feature of the area, first mentioned in 1534. Currently it is a park with ponds and a popular leisure spot in central Vilnius.

The sounds are not as abundant. The reason for this could be the lack of ground plants and partially polluted soil. In the location of recording there were lower plants growing in a patch where scarce brick waste was observed.


03    Verkių parkas.  A nationally protected regional park, established in 1992 in order to protect the natural landscape of ‘green’ lakes, river valleys and hill slopes, the formation of which occurred during the last ice age. With an area of 2673 ha it is one of the biggest city parks in the world. There are around 870 recorded species, 30 of which are included in the Lithuanian protected species list. 

As this park has a high biodiversity its soil has developed and the abundance of sounds reflects the healthy soil structure as well as indicates the presence of larger soil organisms.


04    CUP sodas. Small flower patch garden in front of a supermarket with vegetables and herbs. Established 2023 it seeks to connect the consumer with the growth of produce.

The main sound heard in this recording has so far been unrecognised and rarely appears in soil recordings. However the usual crackling sound is not abundant, which indicates that the soil structure has not yet recovered. This could becasue the methodology of using mulch and a variety of plants has only recently been developed and does not contain active input of organic matter.


05   Japoniškas sodas. Japanese garden created by artist Dalia Dokšaitė with the consultations by Japanese garden master Yasuo Kitayama. Opened in 2020, it includes native Japanese plants and a recovered stream. 

The sounds are not that abundant which could be explained by the lack of plant diversity and the fact that the plants used here are non-native, therefore creating less connections with local soil fauna.


06    Antakalnio daržas. Communal urban garden located in the park of Sapiegų rūmai. Established in 2015 it contains 16 gardens beds and a greenhouse.

There are no continuous crackling sounds, but rather short sudden movements.  This could be due to the raised beds of the garden, not linking underground and garden soil.


07    Šermukšnių g. Street planted with rowan trees and various bush-like plants. 

The trees and bushes are covered by bare and hard soil, which creates a low quality soil. The lack of soil sounds is saved by local church bells and passing cars.


08    Sealed soil. Concrete covered area with a slight gap where plants have grown through.

The overall silent quality is due to soil sealing, completely covering the soil from any water or air infiltration.


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