Moving stones in the Valley of Death, California. How to explain?

There are plenty of mysterious places on the planet. Scientists do not have time to find logical explanations for their phenomena. So are moving stones from the Valley of Death in California - seemingly the facts are obvious, and there is no documented evidence.

Phenomenon

Mysterious stones are at the bottom of the dried Lake Reystrek-Playa, which is surrounded by mountain massifs. Rare rainfall gives him the opportunity to partially fill with water. It flows down the slopes, but does not stay long. The sun and severe winds quickly dry out the moisture. Clay soil is cracked.

On the bottom chaotically scattered stones of different sizes. Periodically they change their location, spontaneously moving along the soil and leaving in it characteristic grooves that can not be confused with anything else. The direction of movement of stones is different. That is, they move absolutely unpredictably. Some lumps can move for a while in parallel, then abruptly change the vector to the side, back or even to turn over. As everything happens, why they start to move and because of what stop, it is not known for certain.

Many are wondering why the stones move in the Valley of Death. Some come to look at them to solve the mystery, suspecting a focus, others are confident in the mystical nature of these phenomena. There are also those who try to ride on boulders. There are cases of loss of stones - a groove on the surface of the lake bottom is available, but the cobblestone itself is no longer there.

Terrain

The valley of moving stones is in California. This place is considered one of the most arid on the planet. Among other things, the valley has the deepest cavity of land in the Western Hemisphere (below sea level by 86 meters).

The maximum temperature (57 ºC) was recorded in 1913. In our time in the summer in the valley for 40 ºC, in winter - on the average just above the zero mark. The valley is surrounded by mountain massifs. Scientists suggest that they are still rising from the earth's interior, while the plateau is descending. The mountains do not allow air currents with life-giving moisture. But in the rainy season there are floods, and in the lowlands dry out lakes form.

Once in the valley, ore was mined. Settlers washed gold, searched for silver, built enterprises for processing borax. But the climatic conditions did not allow to launch a serious production. People were leaving, the towns around the mines were empty.

History: The Valley of Moving Stones (California)

It is believed that a thousand years ago this territory and the entire Mojave desert were inhabited by Indian tribes of Timbish. There are suggestions that their descendants still live in the vicinity of the valley. Then the climate in the region was not so severe, and the Indians could survive by hunting and gathering. The tribes left, they were replaced by others, but the stones remained.

The first settlers from Europe appeared in California with the onset of the gold rush. There is information that in 1849, prospectors decided to travel through the territory of the present valley to cut their way to the nearest gold mines. For several weeks they wandered around the plateau looking for a way out. They had to go through serious tests, because they did not know about the harsh climate of the territory. When they moved over the mountains of Wingate Paz, the terrain that had crossed was called the Valley of Death. On the way, the prospectors had to look for water, to dig up the creeks and feed on their pack animals in order to survive.

Death Valley

Stones move there not everywhere and not constantly. But this does not stop travelers. Despite the harsh climate, the area in 1933 received the status of a monument of national importance. Once there they came because of healing springs. Later, after the desolation of small towns of prospectors, tourists went to look at abandoned mines, houses, streets, quarters.

Now the valley is a large tourist complex. The park area is more than 13,000 square kilometers. People come there to admire the amazing scenery. In addition to the valley with moving stones and amazing mountains, visitors can see the crater of Ubehebe volcano, visit the lowest point of the Western Hemisphere - Salt Lake Bedwater, admire the views from the Zabriiski Point observation deck, visit the Artist's Palette and the famous Scotty Castle.

Tourism

Park "Death Valley" (America, California) is considered the largest in the region. Service and infrastructure there are organized at a high level. For those who want to enjoy amazing landscapes, you can stay in one of the hotels or choose a camping with guest houses. Routes, trails and paths are laid and thought out for the convenience of tourists in such a way as to maximize the beauty of the surrounding places.

The park consists of two valleys, surrounded by mountain systems. The mountain is the Telescope and Dantez View. The most visited part of the valley is the Fournes Creek. To make it easier, you can ride a horse. This will allow you not to be distracted by the difficulties of the transition and focus on the landscape: snow peaks, rocks, canyons, salt plateaus, lakes.

For those who like to tickle the nerves, there is a route to the abandoned Riolaite - the "city of ghosts" abandoned by the prospectors almost a hundred years ago. The crater of the Ubehebe volcano, extinguished seven thousand years ago, is also almost as attractive as the "creeping" rocks on the bottom of Lake Reystrake-Playa.

Data

Is there still anywhere on the planet moving stones? The Death Valley (USA) is unique in its kind. However, information about such movements came at different times and from other places on the planet. The history of Xin-stone and its Far Eastern brother is known. Near Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan and in the foothills of Alatau - its creeping cobblestones. In Tibet, the Stone of the Buddha weighing more than a ton has moved up and down the spiral for fifteen hundred years already.

What happens at the bottom of Lake Reystrek-Playa? This flat area is located at an altitude of more than one kilometer above sea level. The bottom of the lake with a length of 4.5 km and a width of 2, 2 km has a slope of only 1-2 cm per kilometer. In this area, cobblestones are randomly scattered. The overwhelming majority of them slid down from the dolomite hills. All stones of different size and weight (up to several hundred kilograms).

It is established that these blocks move along the surface. The very fact of the movement is not registered on video. However, there is no doubt that they "travel" without the help of a person. Determine or anticipate the beginning of the movement is impossible. Cobblestones "come to life" every few years. If you are lucky, you can observe the update of the positions every year. With what movements are connected, it was not possible to determine reliably, but it was noted that their activity is mainly manifested in the winter.

Footprints

Moving stones leave furrows on the surface of the bottom of the lake. In most cases, they remain visible for several years. The depth of the track reaches 2.5 cm and the width of massive specimens is up to 30 cm.

The facts show that the mass and size of the "crawling" debris of the dolomite rock are not significant. Moved and five hundredgram specimens, and blocks weighing over three hundred kilograms.

During active research during one period of activity, the maximum distance was made by a six-centimeter (in diameter) pebble. He "crawled" more than 200 meters. The most massive specimen, which showed activity in the same period, weighed 36 kg.

The tracks left by the ribbed stones are more even. If the plane of the fragment is relatively smooth, the furrow often "wags" from side to side. Some traces give reason to believe that in the process of moving stones turned on their side.

Myths and hypotheses

Desert, where stones move, except this geological phenomenon of other obvious deviations from the norm does not. True, in the mountains surrounding the valley, there was once an eruption of a volcano, which left the crater more than a kilometer wide. But it happened several thousand years ago.

How to explain the phenomenon of self-moving stones? There are proponents of mystical theory. Some people who have visited the Valley of Death, talked about the presence of some discomfort, but it is difficult to pinpoint its cause. Whether this is due to geomagnetic fields is unknown.

There is also a theory that every stone carries a certain essence that can not be scientifically explained. A group of scientists dealing not only with this phenomenon, suggests that moving stones are manifestations of another, more ancient silicon form of life.

Did not avoid the Valley of Death and the myths about aliens and tricks of evil spirits. Since the beginning of the study of the phenomenon, hypotheses of seismic activity in the region and the impact of complex geomagnetic fields have been put forward.

In general, there is room for imagination. Anyone can choose a suitable theory as a basis and try to prove it or refute it after a visit to the valley. The mystery, which is still present, attracts to these places not only tourists-travelers, but also scientists. It is believed that the area where such phenomena are manifested, is part of the anomalous zones, and supporters always tickle their nerves.

Official version

Until recently, it was believed that moving stones - is the result of a unique combination and interaction of clay soil, water, wind and ice. Which of the elements plays a decisive role, and which - auxiliary, could not be established.

Presumably in winter, when the greatest motor activity is manifested, the soil of the bottom of the lake is wet due to the presence of precipitation during this period. A wet clayey soil has a low coefficient of friction. Sliding is still affected by frost on the surface of the stones and temperature changes.

Gusts of wind, which sometimes reaches a high speed and has twists, similar to the effect of a tornado, can trigger the beginning of the movement. The unevenness, chaotic directions of vectors, as well as the unpredictability of the onset of activity, can be the result of a unique coincidence of wind force, humidity and temperature regimes.

Research

The study of the geological phenomenon was seriously tackled in the middle of the last century. Expeditions went to the valley, tent towns were built, long observations, experiments and experiments were conducted, but stone movements could not be fixed.

A number of questions arose: "Why do not stones get stuck in a pile, do they focus closer to some of the shores of a dried-up lake?" Why do they move seldom and just when there is not a single witness with a camera nearby? " Nevertheless, there were no serious prerequisites for falsifying traces of traffic.

In the winter of 1952, Thomas Clement witnessed a strong storm. He watched the stones for a long time, but on one night he was forced to hide from the weather in a tent. The next morning he discovered fresh furrows and suggested that the cause was in the wind, water and soil sodden from the creeks.

Since 1972, a unique phenomenon studied by Robert Sharpe and Dwight Carey. They selected 30 stones for observation, weighed and measured the debris, gave them names, and seven years they took their location. In 1995, the same problem was dealt with by the group of Professor John Reid.

Moving stones at the end of the last century even became the subject of a successfully defended dissertation. Geologist Paul Messina from 1993 to 1998 explored the territory and compared the location of 160 stones using GPS sensors. She also determined the composition of the rock fragments and found colonies of bacteria in the clay layer at the bottom of the drying lake.

Reality

NASA specialists were also involved in the study of the phenomenon. In 2010, under their guidance, a group of students studied the place of manifestation of a geological phenomenon. They suggested the presence of a thin layer of ice formed on the water surface during periods of activity. The same theory was suggested back in 1955 by George Stanley, insisting that the wind itself can not move massive fragments of rock, but an icy crust around the stone frozen in the water can increase the likelihood of movement.

How to explain this? In 2014, a theory was proposed that proves the possibility of movement of stones along the bottom of the lake. Also, the conditions under which this phenomenon is possible were described.

According to eyewitnesses, during a flood at the bottom of the lake, a layer of water about 7 cm is possible. In the frosty nights, a layer of ice forms on its surface. The sun and thaw break the bed. Formed ice floes chasing the wind. If stones are firmly frozen in them, a gust of wind can give the necessary acceleration to this formation. According to calculations, an ice crust of about 800 square meters can provide the necessary sail. After the descent of water at the bottom will remain a characteristic trace.