Aran Islands

        




For decades, residents and researchers have puzzled over the riddle of the boulders on the coast of Ireland's Aran Islands. Stone slab weighing thousands of tons is framed by the coast and looks like it was specially composed by someone in the bunch. However, the excavators did not touch them. These stones are there for centuries and constantly shifting.

Researchers from Williams College (Williamstown, mA, USA) compared maps and photos of different times. They found that during the past 150 years the position of the stone slabs on the coast of the Aran Islands have changed. Sediments of clay between the plates even shows that some of them have moved in the last 60 years.





Until now, the cause of displacement of the boulders was considered a tsunami that threw them on the coast. However, the last tsunami occurred in this region on the West coast of Ireland in 1755, Since then the lump moved again.

Now geologists claim to have solved the riddle of the boulders. They argue that on the shore the huge rocks made of the storm. Until now it was considered impossible. Like a regular storm waves might have tossed ashore such heavy debris?

There may be a special underwater geological world has ensured that ordinary storm waves can develop enormous strength in Oranskie Islands, the researchers said.

The waves reflected from the cliffs as the light from the mirror, that is, when the rollback they remain valid. Incident wave reflected form a kind of crusher, which can move even the rocks weighing thousands of tons.









 

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