Photo courtesy of PD Photos on Pixabay.com
The big mystery was finally solved in 2013. But unless you’re into science articles, you may have missed it.
There is a section of Death Valley National Park in California called Racetrack Playa. (Note: A playa is a dry lake bed.) For over fifty years, park visitors (both scientifically minded and those who are not) have been fascinated by the heavy rocks that appear to move on their own and leave behind a trail or furrow that shows the movement. See photo at the top as an example.
We’re not talking small stones here; some of the rocks weigh hundreds of pounds. Through the years people have speculated wildly about these wandering rocks. There would be periods of years between some of the movements, so it was hard to track.
Could it be aliens? Dust devils? Secret hurricane-strength winds in the dark of night? Really strong animals that got a kick out of pushing around rocks? Just people trying to create a hoax? Lack of any prints around the rocks or the furrows ruled out animal or human assistance.
People wondered about it until December 2013 when a pair of scientist cousins who’d been working on solving the mystery happened to be there to witness and document the movement.
Richard and James Norris had begun their “Slithering Stones Research Initiative” in 2011. (You’ve got to love scientists with a sense of humor.)
Initially, the cousins and a crew installed a weather station that included 15 stones equipped with GPS that they placed on the desert floor. On a return trip on December 21, 2013, while sitting admiring the view, they heard ice cracking, and “Suddenly, the whole process unfolded before our eyes.”
Here are the facts according to a Los Angeles Times article by Louis Sahagun. “A review of the weather data showed that a rare winter storm had dropped about 1 1/2 inches of rain and seven inches of snow on the region in late November. The playa was transformed into a shallow lake where the GPS stones recorded movements on sunny days with light winds following nights of sub-freezing temperatures.
Panes of ice hundreds of feet across and as thin as 1/4-inch thick blew into rocks. The rocks slid along the slushy, slippery mud on trajectories determined by the direction and velocity of the winds.”
It turns out that some people are unhappy that the mystery has been solved. It was, after all, more interesting to wonder about the rolling stones than to simply have the scientific understanding of how it happens.
Have you noticed that we don’t wonder much anymore? As soon as someone says, “I wonder what…” multiple people have whipped out their cell phones to Google the answer. Or worse, call out, “Hey Siri” to have the answer delivered.
I’ve decided to shake you up a bit. I want you to WONDER about where you might go with this story on WANDERING rocks. How could this be turned into an inspirational or thought-provoking piece? Can you relate this concept to something in your own life, either in the past or right now?
Step out of your comfort zone and comment with your response. There are no wrong answers since I’m asking for YOUR idea.
I know all of my readers each have a wonderful imagination. Open it up; set it free. Let it roll.
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LA Times article documenting solving the mystery
A geologist’s view of the story
The Temptations singing the title of this post, just to get you moving
