There are places on the planet where the actions taking place at first glance cannot be described either by the laws of physics or by common sense. The ancient peoples associated the visible with the manipulations of the angry Gods. Areas of paradoxes are located all over the planet.

There are places on the planet where the actions taking place at first glance cannot be described either by the laws of physics or by common sense. The ancient peoples associated the visible with the manipulations of the angry Gods. Areas of paradoxes are located all over the planet. The formation of regions of increased interest is influenced by accumulations of metals or geographical features.

One of these places is the "Valley of Death". The canyon gained fame thanks to the mysterious movement of many kilogram stones through its territory without the use of physical factors.

Description of the valley and stones

The mystical area is located on a place where in the past there was a huge lake near a dolomite hill. Most of the stones, with which mysterious movements begin to occur, enter the territory from this hill, about 260 meters high. The region itself is located on the south side of Racetrack Playa.

During the movement, the stones leave a trail depending on the size. The range varies in the region of 8 - 30 centimeters. The depth never exceeds 2 - 3 centimeters.

It is interesting that the print from the cobblestone differs in its type of coating. The route of the ribbed stones is invariable and almost always straight, while, like those lying on the flat side, wandering from side to side is observed. The tracks exist for several years before the wind or other natural conditions erase them.

Moving stones in the valley of death

Moving rocks are considered one of the most interesting geological phenomena present on the planet. The mysterious area was discovered on the territory of the former Lake Racetrack Playa, located in Death Valley in the United States of America.

Despite the fact that the miracle of nature has been known for a long time, the first video source confirming the movement of stones was made only in 2013. Assumptions about independent changes in the location of the cobblestones appeared as a result of the visual visibility of the tracks and the obvious understanding that there is practically no life in the region.

It is important to understand that not only in Death Valley there is such a paradox. But due to the scale and size of the area of ​​paradox, it has become the most popular.

The first studies of the phenomenon

Until about the beginning of the 20th century, when there was a breakthrough in physics, it was believed that the movement of stones was associated with spirits and other supernatural forces. A cardinal change in the point of view occurred against the background of the development and formation of a subsection of science called electromagnetism.

The first full-fledged scientific expedition sent to Death Valley to study the issue of stone migration should be considered the expedition of Jim McAlister and Allen Agnew in 1948. The task of the scientists was to make a graphic drawing of the cobblestones located at that time in the region and mark the traces of movement. The expedition also made a detailed record and description of the appearance and features of the area of ​​the former lake. It should be noted separately the photographing of the area with the subsequent transfer of information sources to the Life magazine. At the same time, employees of the US national parks tried to give arguments and a scientific explanation for the phenomena that were taking place. Almost all assumptions and hypotheses were about the influence of the wind and the wet bottom of the long-dried Racetrack Playa on the stones.

Since the publication of the article, the question of the mysterious migrations of stones began to rise much more often. This led to the organization of works on this topic. In 1955, the famous geologist George Stanley developed a scientific theory that the formation of a specific ice edge at certain times of the seasons of the year, because of which the stones begin to move. According to the geologist, the assumptions of Macalister and Agnew, proposed by them in 1948, had no practical implementation.

Sharpe and Carey's research

A breakthrough in the question of explaining the anatomy of the movement of cobblestones should be considered 1972. It was in this year that Robert Sharp and Dwight Carey formed and created a scientific program whose task is to control and track the migration of stones.

Scientists selected and marked thirty stones, and also set pegs in the areas where they began to move. The experiment, which lasted for seven years, confirmed the hypothesis put forward by George Stanley and established a number of other facts.

As a result of the study, it was found that during the rainy season, the clay base of the soil of the former lake soaks significantly, which increases its slip coefficient. Additional assistance was provided by ice formed at night. Thus, Sharp and Carey were able to prove the possibility of moving stones weighing up to 350 kilograms.

Evidence of the influence of ice on migration was carried out using a specific paddock with a diameter of 1.7 meters. Inside it was placed a stone 7.5 centimeters wide and weighing no more than half a kilogram. If ice had an impact on the movement of cobblestones, then when it came into contact with one of the fences, the route would instantly change.

The first year was not successful. In this regard, the scientists decided to use two heavier stones. As a result, one of them did not move at all, while the other proved the hypothesis. Thanks to this behavior of the cobblestones, it became clear that the ice helps in movement only at a certain thickness of the ice edge.

It is worth mentioning the movement of marked stones. The main body movements were recorded only during the seasons of high humidity and frosts.

Why do stones move

In 1993, work was carried out that demonstrated the lack of parallelism in the movement of stones, because of which the assumption of the influence of ice was seriously shaken. Due to the proximity of geographical objects and the identity of weather conditions, the ice edge would form everywhere in the same way, and then the stones would change their location in one vector.

Using the GPS system, scientists observed more than 160 stones. It became obvious that the trajectory of the cobblestones depends on the location of the stone relative to Racetrack Playa.So, the stones located in the center of the former lake stably form complex vortex-like figures.

The scientific work of 1995 brought back hope for the influence of ice on the environment of the cobblestones. It was noticed that the directivity vector coincides with the flows of water under the ice. Again, speculation arose about the seriousness of the 1948 hypothesis about the influence of wind, which in winter seasons in the region can reach 145 km / h even on low and small stones.

The year 2014 was marked by an extreme full-scale work in this direction. Scientists used their own stones, on which photo and video sensors were previously installed in a special way. This led to fixation of the formation of ice layers with a thickness of 3-6 mm and the presence of water flows under them, in relation to which the route of the cobblestones was set.

Unusual places in America

As mentioned earlier, Death Valley is far from the only mysterious and mystical place on the planet. America also has a number of interesting geographical phenomena or incredible accidents that have led to the creation of beautiful places:

1. Devil's Hole - the object is located in the state of Nevada. A distinctive feature is considered to be the presence of an underground lake;
2. Valley of the Goblins - a geographical feature located in the state of Utah and is recognized as a state park of this state. The name is given in accordance with the characteristics of the stones located in the region. Unusualness is manifested in the presence of huge cobblestones located on a thin natural column;

Fotography

Death Valley: video

Mystery of moving stones solved

The issue of stone migration at the bottom of the lake has come a long way.Several centuries have passed since the first discovery of the mysterious features of the Death Valley and before the first scientific work. Scientists were able to come to the truth only after almost 70 years from the beginning of the study of the region.

Extreme scientific work, carried out in 2014, finally put an end to the issue of the movement of cobblestones. The influence of ice, which is formed at night, and water flows that set the motion vector, have been proven. The seasonality of the change in the position of the stones is also directly related to the amount of precipitation available.

Read in more detail about the natural stone of the water depths.

How to get to the valley of death

In the absence of your own transport, the easiest option is to use a private bus from Las Vegas, which is located 200 km from Death Valley. Traffic is on U-95 and I-15. During the journey, travelers will be able to see quite a lot of beautiful and breathtaking landscapes, similar to the steppes of Mongolia or Patagonia.

When using personal vehicles, fill up a full tank before entering the state park, as the cost of gasoline or diesel is significantly higher than the national average.

It is important to correctly assess the natural conditions of the region. Due to natural features, the temperature varies from 31 to 46 degrees Celsius, depending on the time of day. The rainy season starts in November and ends in February. It is generally accepted that the best time to visit is March-April. An interesting fact is the presence of about 1000 plant species, despite the aridity and inhospitability of the region.

When visiting Death Valley from winter to spring, you should definitely pre-register at hotels, otherwise it may turn out that there are simply no vacant places.

The visit to the park is open from 8:30 to 17:30 in winter and from 9:00 to 16:30 in summer.

Other notable moving stones

Despite the worldwide fame of the moving stones of Death Valley, it is obvious that there are other areas and areas on the planet where an identical phenomenon occurs.

1. Blue stone - a cobblestone is located in the Patriotic region of the city of Yaroslavl. The first mention of the mysterious object appears in pagan stories and legends. After the arrival of the Christian faith in the Russian lands, repeated attempts were made to bury the artifact, but over time it got out of the ground on its own. Being dry, the boulder is black, when, as with precipitation, it becomes blue;
2. Ancient Buddha Stone - a huge stone located near one of the Buddhist monasteries. According to scientists, a boulder weighing about a ton is more than 50 million years old. Every 60 years, the cobblestone goes one full circle. Among the monks, there is a point of view that says that the Buddha personally touched the stone with his fingers, as a result of which he acquired this property;
3. Stone-dart frogs are another extremely mysterious and interesting phenomenon. Unlike their "kinsmen" from Death Valley, these boulders climb trees over time, defeating the force of gravity and calling the laws of physics into question;
4. Alien stones - astronomers were able to register stones on the Moon, which change their location over time, fixing a clearly distinguishable visible trace and imprint;
5. Valley of Ghosts - a mystical region located on Mount Demerdzhi. Stones in this area are able to develop a fairly high speed.

Despite the rapid development of progress, the planet as a whole and a large number of phenomena on it still remain unsolved. This confirms the theory that the development of science is relatively weak. It is possible that the laws derived by Einstein, in a few hundred years, will turn out to be as incorrect for certain media or properties of objects as Newton's laws.