Sailing stones - Death Valley (14 photos) Bashny.Net

Sailing stones (Eng. Sailing stones), the so-called sliding or crawling rocks -
geological phenomenon found on the dry lake-Reystrek Playa in Death Valley in the USA.

Clip Alina Artz "With me on the other can not" just a shot in 2012 in the Valley of Death
in California, where you can watch this amazing phenomenon

View photos and read about this miracle of light

In Death Valley in California there is a lake Reystrek Playa (Racetrack Playa).
Its name comes from two seemingly little combination of the word: the English racetrack -
"Speedway" and Spanish playa - «Beach».

Reystrek Playa. Since the satellite can not see anything special (photo from www2.nature.nps.gov).





At the bottom of the stones lying around - hefty chunks weighing up to thirty kilos. But in fact they are still there:
sometimes they move, leaving behind on the ground, shallow (no more than a few centimeters), but very long
(up to several tens of meters) groove.
Reystrek-Playa and the Milky Way over it. But here we are more interested in such strange stripes on the earth, not in heaven, this delightful
(photo by Dan Duriscoe, US National Park Service). This picture is larger - the size of 1232 × 397- have here.



So far, however, the movement of the stones no one has seen or shot on film.
But the fact that the stones are moved, no doubt - the furrows are drawn from virtually every one of them.

Dashing turns, frozen in the clay, and the mysterious stone in the middle of dry lake.
Some photographers and lovers of "Photoshop" this simple story is haunted (photo Martin Quinn).



However, in the early XX century, nowhere scientists showed up and said,
that the cause of the mysterious movement - in some magnetic fields.
This version does not have anything to do with reality, and nothing really explained.

Plenty of room for imagination! Some tourists try crawling with stones:
a) run a race, b) bowling and) just to ride them.
The stones themselves, however, all this clowning patiently ignore (photo from wckitto.com).



Inexperienced paparazzi prefer to hone their skills at a leisurely celebrities (photos Raymond Soemarsono).



So the researchers were able to identify a number of factors which clearly facilitate the movement of blocks.
The first factor - it is a slippery foundation under a stone, to put it simply, dirt.
In support of this argument indicates at least trace form.
Tracks that reserve the stones have a clear shape with smooth edges,
and therefore, the ground was soft at first and then froze.

"Hey! Chur, not cut! "(Photo Angelo Cavalli).



But the slippery base - it is only a condition of mobility.
A major factor, due to which the movement starts - is the wind that pushes the stones lying on the slimy mud.
However, the thought about the wind kept if not all.
For example, a geologist George Stanley (George M. Stanley) from the University of Michigan (University of Michigan) in it not a bit believe,
justifying his opinion that the stones are too heavy to be able to move air masses.

Lines of movement Some stones especially direct ... (photo melastmohican / flickr.com, Roberto Feliciano and site photo-net).



In addition, there were more reasons that could move the stones to influence earthquake.
However, this conjecture rather quickly rejected because the seismic activity is enhanced in the area is extremely rare,
Besides, she is very weak, in order to demonstrate such an effect.

... And the other - not very (photo from coordinate-43places.com).



Sometimes the stones are discharged so unusual and complex lines, often overturned, making "flip-flops" in motion
(photo from goldcoastgalleries.com, and photo Jon Sullivan).



At the bottom of Reystrek Playa there are stones that will not move. They were, however, removed rarely and reluctantly.
This is understandable: what to photograph all sorts of uninteresting bricks? (photo from pdphoto.org).



Some stones that are close, moving in parallel, and are leaving the other in different directions.
This fact, seen more Sharp and Carey is a testament to the process of ice innocence.
Stones moving by him, and nearby, turned out to be invariably frozen in a block of ice and
would certainly move together (photo from saytf subversiveelement.com and Daniel Mayer).



Tourists rarely get here. Firstly, Reystrek Playa is located far from any means of communication.
And secondly, it is safe here.
At least because the same flood that as a result of downpours are so unexpected and powerful,
which sometimes lead to tragic outcome (photo from geography.sierra.cc.ca.us).



The source rocks are dolomite hill in the south of Playa
Reystrek and volcanic rock from adjacent slopes (photo from pdphoto.org).



"Tracks" from boulders left after the bottom Reystrek Playa dries completely.
But the boulders themselves are, by the way, not always.
It is known that several times people have seen nothing but the furrows, then boulders someone for some reason, currently assigned.
But who and why - is unknown. It is possible that for reasons of simple aesthetics - this one, for example, very cute.
It might be nice to look at us in edition (photo Dan Mitchell).

Why are some stones moved, while others are in place?
Whether this is due to the fact that after the disappearance of water in some places the ground is drier than in others?
Moving winds narrow or wide streams, and the effect is on the rocks?
Why stones "scattered" around the bottom of the lake, while the result of the regular winds,
directed almost always the same, the majority of blocks to be one of the edges?
Whether this is due to the fact that the stones somehow "return" them back or they simply take what some people?
And what time of the stones often move in winter when most precipitation, or summer?
Many obscure, very much ...