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View Full Version : The Mystery of the Sailing Stones in Death Valley



skywizard
27th May 2014, 13:01
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California's remote Death Valley has held a mystery of stones that seem to move (or have life) on their own. It happens at Racetrack Playa, a dry lakebed known for its "sailing stones." This effect occurs at a few other places as well, though Death Valley is the most famous spot.

Not all of the stones in Death Valley move. Those that do don't move at the same time or in the same direction. In fact, some make abrupt 90-degree turns, judging from the tracks, which range from tens of feet to hundreds of feet long.

The rocks' apparent movement has been blamed on everything from space aliens and magnetic fields to pranksters. But no one has actually seen the rocks move, which only adds to the mystery.

Scientists have tried to solve the puzzle of the sailing stones for decades. Some researchers thought that dust devils might move the rocks, some of which weigh as much as 700 lbs.

The most craziest explaination I've read so for is the one from Ralph Lorenz, a NASA scientist. His team calculated that under certain winter conditions in Death Valley, enough water and ice could form to float the rocks across the muddy bottom of Racetrack Playa in a light breeze, leaving a trail in the mud as the rocks moved.

Water, Ice, Death Valley!!... Yeah RIGHT! Maybe water might freeze in Hell too. :ttr::ha:

We are just living in the mystery of Mother Earth and trying to understand.



peace...