Have you ever seen hefty stones moving on their own?
It’s crazy, isn’t it?
But this is happening in The Death Valley. A cranky thought came to my mind maybe the stones grew legs and walked away then hide their legs like a turtle. Nah! I laughed at my naive thoughts.
Curious to know the cause of their ghosty moments. I searched a lot of articles and videos.
The death valley is a land of mysteries. It’s one of the hottest and driest places on earth. Too hot for humans in summer. It is in southeastern California near the Great Basin and Mojave desert.
In summer, the temperature soars over 49 C. In 2013 the highest temperature recorded was 54 C. A century earlier it was recorded 56.6 C. That’s an unbearable temperature. I will surely die there in the summer.
Dangerous heatwaves warnings are forecast during summer because extreme heat can cause health issues and cars to overheat to a minacious level.
It’s a daunting place with flat cracks and patterns of dried salt. When it rains, these patterns change continuously. The salt here doesn’t taste like Himalayan pink salt. It’s the saltiest thing you ever tasted. But you can put it on some vegetables in case you need it. Here you can walk out as far as you can.
You can greet the spectacular beauty of the valley from Dante’s viewpoint 20 miles up in the mountains.
It’s the quietest place you hike with no soul.
There is a kettle junction on the way to Playa where the stones live.
This kettle junction has become a popular spot where people leave messages for fellow travelers. Playa once used to be a lake about 10,000 years ago now it’s like a beach without water.
Rocks of all shapes and sizes are there. Some are about 700 pounds. Each stone leaves its distinctive trail. The playa racetrack stones move once every 1–2year. These rocks move out of nowhere as they suddenly came to life. Some of us may think these rocks are possessed by spirits. It’s incredible to see these rocky stones with long skids mark behind them.
For centuries this riddle has baffled scientists. Scientists developed many theories to solve this mystery. They set up a camera around the stones. In December, the rocks started to move because of the rain which has fallen a day before. A thin layer of iced formed on the dry lake bed. The sun rays partially thawed the ice. The ice broke out into large floats. When the wind blew, these rocks began to slide on the slick mud.
Thanks to paleobiologist James Norris and his cousin Richard Norris we know how these rocks moved and what causes them to move.
Mother nature is always blowing our minds. I would recommend you to visit Dead Valley once in your life. There are so many natural oddities to see. Each geological landscape has its own story to tell.
Nature is full of such dazzling riddles they are the reason for our existence. Before setting out for dead valley top-up your fuel and water as you see this place is not for ill-prepared. you will be itching to go back there again.
