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Sliding Rocks On Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park: First Observation Of Rocks In Motion, Richard D. Norris, James M. Norris, Ralph D. Lorenz, Jib Ray, Brian Jackson
Sliding Rocks On Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park: First Observation Of Rocks In Motion, Richard D. Norris, James M. Norris, Ralph D. Lorenz, Jib Ray, Brian Jackson
Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations
The engraved trails of rocks on the nearly flat, dry mud surface of Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, have excited speculation about the movement mechanism since the 1940s. Rock movement has been variously attributed to high winds, liquid water, ice, or ice flotation, but has not been previously observed in action. We recorded the first direct scientific observation of rock movements using GPS-instrumented rocks and photography, in conjunction with a weather station and time-lapse cameras. The largest observed rock movement involved >60 rocks on December 20, 2013 and some instrumented rocks moved up to 224 m between December 2013 …