The Sliding Stone
What is the mystry behind the Sliding stone-a stone which moves???
There is one of the world's most puzzling mysteries in the middle of California, the moving rocks of Death Valley. These rocks, some of which weigh more than 700 pounds create a strange and mysterious trail in the dry lake in Death Valley.
The moving rocks are found in a dry lake called Racetrack Playa located in the northern part of the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S.A. The moving rocks are also called as "Sailing stones".
These rocks are seen in the dry bed of the lake and they blaze a trail. The strange thing no one knows how they move, because it is not transported by the rivers, or by avalanches from the mountains nearby, or tossed around by animals. Some of the stones or rocks weigh more than 700 pounds. It is not man made, the stones are transported a long distance and leave a trail that is etched over time and you can see some of the pictures here.
No one knows how these rocks are moved and what forces influence them to be transported this way. These rocks have been studied over nine decades and no one has seen the rocks move.
The sailing stones found in the Racetrack playa have also been seen at other lakes, but the paths at Racetrack are more prominent than others. There has been no video or film recording available for these rocks so far. So, it adds more mystery to this movement. It is just not one rock, there are many moving rocks seen each creating its own path in the dry lake bed.
Researchers have noted that Racetrack stones move once every two or three years and the tracks that they create lasts for three or four years. Stones with rough bottoms create almost straight striped tracks while the smooth bottoms wander along the path way. In some cases, the stones flip over and create a different sized track than earlier.
Any guesses how these sailing stones move?
