A team of researchers in the Australian Outback has identified a collection of 4,000-year-old basalt sound-stones stained with red ochre. These stones, when struck with specific wooden mallets, produce a deep, resonating drone that mimics the sound of distant thunder, indicating their use in ancient "First Thunder" festivals.
The site, located near a seasonal waterhole, suggests that these acoustic rituals were performed to summon the monsoon rains. The discovery provides a rare look into the deep-time auditory heritage of the region, showing how ancient Indigenous groups used the landscape's natural geology to orchestrate large-scale sensory experiences during climatic transitions.