- Sailing stones (also called sliding rocks, walking rocks, rolling stones, and moving rocks) are part of the geological phenomenon in which rocks move and inscribe...
- The phenomenon of sailing stones primarily occurs in arid desert regions with flat, dry lakebeds or playas.
- Sailing stones in the desert of Death Valley. In 2014, scientists were able to capture the movement of the stones for the first time using time-lapse photography.
- Their movement is caused by thin ice sheets the stones are frozen into. Sailing stones move due to ice rafts created in winter after the heavy rains.
- For many years, the ‘sailing stones’ of Death Valley represented one of the most curious mysteries that scientists had never been able to solve…until recently, that is.
- Their research revealed that most of the sailing stones’ movement came during the winter, leading them to believe that ice played a part.
- So how do sailing stones form? Here’s the big reveal: “Wind-driven ice that forms and then breaks up under certain conditions.”
- The sailing stones , as they’re called, mystified park visitors and scientists for decades. But one man believes he’s solved the puzzle.
- Have you ever seen rocks move on their own? California’s ‘Dead Valley’- Racetrack Playa, a dry and sandy lake bed, is the home of the ‘sailing stones’.
- In a way, though, Lorenz’ physical explanation really need not diminish the feeling of awe the sailing stones bring about—it can heighten it.
