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320 Kg Stones Move By Themselves In Death Valley And Attract The Attention Of Scientists, Residents, And Tourists. Understand The Phenomenon Of Stones That Move By Themselves
320kg Stones That ‘Move’ By Themselves: In the arid and inhospitable landscape of Death Valley National Park in California (USA), an intriguing phenomenon has puzzled scientists and visitors for decades: stones that move by themselves, leaving long trails on the ground without any apparent human interference. Some of these rocks weigh an impressive 320 kg and travel distances of several meters over months or even years, as if they had a life of their own.
The phenomenon of 320kg stones that ‘move’ by themselves occurs at Racetrack Playa, a dry and smooth flat located in a remote area of the park. For a long time, the “sliding stones” challenged logical explanations and fueled theories ranging from magnetic forces to extraterrestrial activity. However, after years of studies and observations using cameras and motion sensors, science finally revealed a surprising — and natural — explanation for the enigma.
In this article, we will understand how these heavy stones manage to move by themselves, what the scientific discovery behind the phenomenon was, and why it continues to fascinate curious individuals and experts around the world.
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The Discovery Of The Stones That Move By Themselves In Death Valley
At the cracked plain of Racetrack Playa, the bed of a lake formed about 10,000 years ago, enormous 320 kg stones move by themselves, leaving behind long tracks of up to 460 meters in length that defy all physics.
With no apparent human intervention, these stones that move by themselves in Death Valley, some weighing as much as 320 kg, have been the subject of theories ranging from hurricane-force winds to magnetic forces, or even intervention by extraterrestrial beings.
The most intriguing aspect of the phenomenon where 320 kg stones move by themselves is that no one has ever witnessed the movement of these rocks.
Visitors to Racetrack Playa simply discovered that the stones had shifted between visits, which was evidenced by the characteristic grooves they left in the desert floor. Some rocks exhibited perfectly parallel trajectories and even synchronized spins, as if choreographed by an invisible force.
Researchers Capture Video Of Stones That Move By Themselves
In 2011, two cousins, scientists James M. Norris and Richard D. Norris, set out to solve the mystery once and for all and founded what they called the “Sliding Stones Research Initiative,” installing a sophisticated monitoring system in the area.
The methodology was meticulous and according to the NGO EarthSky, a weather station was set up near the old lake.
Then, 15 rocks were equipped with GPS trackers and finally, time-lapse cameras were installed to capture any movement, along with a high-resolution weather station to record small variations in wind speed.
The scientists were prepared for a long wait until they received any answers. According to Richard, the expectation was at least 5 to 10 years until a stone moved. However, the answer came sooner than they expected.
Just two years after the start of the project, on December 4 and 20, 2013, the team achieved the unthinkable: capturing a video where 320 kg stones move. In one of those events, over 60 rocks moved at the same time, some traveling up to 224 meters in various episodes in Death Valley.
Understand How The 320 Kg Stones Move By Themselves
The explanation for the stones that move by themselves turned out to be a sort of dance between ice and wind. During the winter, when a shallow pool forms in the old lake, the water freezes into a very thin layer of ice, 3 to 6 millimeters thick.
When the morning sun begins to melt this ice, large floating panels form and, pushed by gentle breezes of 4 to 5 meters per second, push the rocks in patterns determined by the direction of the wind and the flow of water underneath the ice.
It is a natural spectacle in Death Valley; however, it is quite rare. The stones move only once every two or three years, and their tracks remain visible for three or four years. It is worth mentioning that the rocks leave different tracks depending on their surface.
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