Among the
the ghost towns, abondoned mines and amazing geology of Death Valley,
California, there is a place of intriguing mystery. Located above the
northwestern side of the National Park, the dry lakebed of Racetrack Playa is
world-famous for its inexplicable sailing stones, a puzzle that has baffled
scientists for decades.
The stones
sitting on the lakebed move around without any apparent reason, sometimes
sailing in a long, straight line, at other times traveling only a few feet, and
on occasion zigzagging and looping around like no tomorrow.
And yet,
despite the fact that this phenomenon has been known for several decades, no
one has ever actually seen the stones move, nor have they been filmed in
motion. The trails they leave behind on the lakebed are the only evidence of
their treks.
When the
sailing stones were first discovered, a multitude of theories were suggested,
ranging from the supernatural to the absurdly complicated. The obvious
candidate, wind, didn’t seem likely due to the heavy weight of many of the
stones.
However,
now scientists believe a combination of very specific weather conditions and
strong wind may reduce the friction between the mud of the lakebed and the
rocks enough for them to take off. Not everyone is satisfied with this theory
though. Some people have claimed to observe the stones move even when the
needed conditions were not present. As of now, the truth has yet to be
revealed.
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