Thursday, December 06, 2012

'Tis The Season For The Sliding Rocks Of Death Valley



Caption: Rain, ice, and strong winds likely work together in getting the rocks on the move. Rock movement is more evident after stormy winters. Image by Arno Gourdol


Interesting that people still haven't seen these rocks move:
It's the time of year when the sailing stones of Racetrack Playa in California's Death Valley are on the move. ... Extremely patient scientists studying the wanderliths have concluded that wetter winter weather plays a role in the stone rolling, but they're still not exactly sure how it all works.

...The sailing rocks are not small. Many are about the size of a loaf of bread and weigh upwards of 25 lbs.

The dry lake bed that is Racetrack Playa is pancake flat. It's 4 1/2 miles long but only rises one inch along that entire length.

Trails as long as 1,500 feet have been found. What's even more puzzling is sometimes you can follow these trails and there's no rock at the end of it.

...Rock trails will overlap, cross, travel in parallel, make wide curves, sharp turns, and zigzags.

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