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My inclination is that 沈黙 is more about the objective lack of sound/talking,
while 静寂 has a more serene feeling to it (like a "quiet" picture of a lake; a
baby sleeping in its mother's arms; swinging on the porch at sunset; etc.)

Am I correct, or am I looking too much into it and they are more-or-less
interchangeable?

* * *

Edit: Hmm, maybe my [Google Image search of 静寂](https://goo.gl/MdVZ6M)
confirms this?
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meaning words nuances
What's the difference between [沈黙]{ちん・もく} and [静寂]{せい・じゃく}?
Your intuition seems to be correct.

According to the デジタル大辞泉, the main definition of 沈黙 is 「だまりこむこと。口をきかないこと。」
Whereas 静寂 means 「静かでひっそりしていること。」
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沈黙 basically only refers to the lack of talking (e.g., at a loss for words, or
with the intent of keeping a secret). 沈黙 can happen in a noisy classroom. The
subject of 沈黙する is almost always a human being, and occasionally an
organization like White House. The only exception I know is ["Angels" in
_Evangelion_](https://wiki.evageeks.org/Angels), where people say 使徒は完全に沈黙
instead of 使徒は完全に停止/死亡, but this usage is fairly idiosyncratic.

静寂 is the lack of all kinds of sound. And yes, it often has a positive
connotation and implies the tranquility due to the silence.
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