How to Read a Schumann Spectrogram: Frequency Bands, Amplitude, and Noise

Read the axes before the colors

A Schumann spectrogram maps time on one axis and frequency on the other. Color intensity typically represents relative signal energy, not a mystical score. The first discipline is to understand the frame before reacting to the brightness.

What the main bands represent

The fundamental region near 7.83 Hz is the reference band most users look for first. Higher bands can appear above it as harmonics. A useful chart reading asks whether those bands remain coherent, whether the event is narrow or broad, and whether the structure persists across time.

How amplitude appears visually

Stronger amplitude often shows up as brighter or more contrasted zones. That does not mean the base frequency has permanently changed. In many cases, the structure is still recognizable while only intensity increases. This is one of the most important distinctions in the entire topic.

Common noise artifacts

Vertical streaks with poor supporting structure

Truncated or incomplete time windows

Local interference that affects one part of the image more than the rest

Display bursts that do not match metric cards or neighboring harmonics

A good interpretation workflow

Check the axes, identify the baseline band, compare amplitude with signal quality, then review the wider time window. If you follow that sequence, the spectrogram becomes an analytical tool instead of a source of instant overreaction.