How Do Rocks🪨 Move by Themselves | The Science👩‍🔬behind the self moving Rocks in Death Valley#shorts

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How Do Rocks Move by Themselves | The Science behind the self moving Rocks in Death Valley#science #viralshort #retrospace

Death Valley National Park's Racetrack Playa is home to hundreds of “sailing stones” that move across the dry lake bed, leaving tracks behind them. The rocks, made of dolomite and syenite, are nudged by melting ice sheets driven by light winds in the winter. Researchers have observed the rocks moving since the early 1900s.

The movement:
Large, thin sheets of ice break up in the sun, nudging the rocks across the playa's level surface. The ice sheets can be so large that they move rocks hundreds of feet apart in the same direction.

The rocks:
The sailing stones are made of the same materials as the surrounding mountains and tumble down due to erosion.

The tracks:
The rocks leave long tracks behind them as they move. The best views of the rocks and tracks are about half a mile southeast of the playa.

Theories:
Before the discovery of the ice sheets, people believed strong winds pushed the rocks, or that magnetic fields were involved.

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