#PhotoOfTheDay Moving rock on the playa, The Racetrack, Death Valley National Park.
#photo #photography #DVNP #NationalPark #RoadTrip
The pioneers used to ride these things for miles!
Now that’s rock racing!
I wonder if its caused by the contraction and expansion from heat levels changing throughout the day and night
@x4740N@lemm.ee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones
I still dont get it… If they’re sliding on ice why are there tracks? How does ice even get under them?
I think the ice just reduce the friction, but not enough ice forms to commpletely cover ground or be thick enough to protect the surface below from weathering
@Lojcs@lemm.ee They don’t know for sure that it’s ice, it may just be wind and water. The rocks can be very heavy, so they squash the playa beneath them. Their shapes are irregular so that Ince can form in the gaps underneath them.
@croyle@wandering.shop Is it still moving?
@faizalr@fedia.io It’s stopped in the photo. If it’s moved since I took the photo a decade ago, I couldn’t say for certain, but that seems likely.
@croyle@wandering.shop what a wild phenomenon
