Rocks That Roll

At the lowest level in the western hemisphere is Death Valley, a national park in California that has seen 153 consecutive days of daytime temperatures over 100 degrees and an annual rainfall of 1.5 inches. Amidst the mammals, reptiles, and birds, the rocks in Death Valley have begun relocating themselves across the desert. Photographer Mike Byrne has documented the rocks sliding across the flat surface, leaving long trails that guide to the rocks point of origins over the years:

"They must be the original real-life rolling stones, they just keep moving through the sand and I don't think anyone has really 100 per cent worked it out yet.”

Scientist theorize the phenomenon is caused by ice forming under thin wet layers of clay on the surface at night; and with winds up to 90 miles per hour, the rocks get rolling. The weather conditions have moved rocks up to 250lbs across Racetrack playa, an empty lakebed 2.5 miles long and 1.25 miles wide. Human and animal contributions have been eliminated from the equation, as the floor around them shows no signs of footprints or distribution of mud.  While the event has no solid explanation, if the current theory turns out to be true it means that rising temperatures will bring these traveling rocks to a halt and the phenomenon will cease--which means you can add another reason to go green to your list:  "Do it for the rocks, man.”

Image: "The Racetrack" by TravOC on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing.