slgwv

slgwv club

Posted: 03 Mar 2011


Taken: 22 Dec 2009

8 favorites     9 comments    646 visits

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California California


Geology Geology


Désert du monde Désert du monde


USA USA


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Keywords

playa
Racetrack
playas
Death Valley
National Park
USA
California
desert
dry
lake
bed
dry lake


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646 visits


The Racetrack

The Racetrack
Death Valley, California, USA. Rocks moving across the playa and leaving a trail. The mechanisms are still controversial, but it seems to occur when there are strong winter winds while the playa is wet and extremely slippery.

It isn't restricted to Racetrack Playa--I've seen similar trails left by things like abandoned tires on other playas. The unusual thing about Racetrack seems to be its being adjacent to cliffy outcrops that can drop rocks on the playa! Most playas are out in the flats, remote from any source of objects that could fall on them to be pushed.

UPDATE: Just in the last couple of years, the stones have finally been seen to move. (Some of them were wired for GPS!) It turns out thin ice sheets are acting as sails:
www.nature.com/news/wandering-stones-of-death-valley-explained-1.15773
As I noted above, I've seen similar trails on other playas, involving things like old tires, so it's not just the Racetrack!

, , Tractacus, and 4 other people have particularly liked this photo


9 comments - The latest ones
 slgwv
slgwv club
Thanks!
10 years ago.
 Pam J
Pam J club
Brilliant !
10 years ago.
 slgwv
slgwv club
Thanks, everyone!
10 years ago.
 William Sutherland
slgwv club has replied to William Sutherland club
Thanks!
10 years ago.
 slgwv
slgwv club
It's worth the 30ish miles of dirt road if you're ever in Death Valley.
10 years ago.
 slgwv
slgwv club
Thanks, everyone! As I've said, it's worth the 30 miles or so of dirt road--even tho the roads get a lot more traffic than you might expect given their condition. The area is surreal. Be sure to get to the south end of the playa--that's where most of the moving rocks are.
9 years ago.
 Spo
Spo
What a story, what a picture!
7 years ago.
slgwv club has replied to Spo
Thanks! It's definitely worth the 25 miles or so of dirt road--
7 years ago.

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