Mystery Behind the Sailing Stones of Death Valley

Ever heard of stones that could move on their own? Think they can exist? I hadn't thought they could until I heard this story from my sister’s California vacation.

She came across these at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, California. Let me tell you a bit about Racetrack Playa first. It is a dry lakebed situated very close to the Nevada border. Its claim to fame is a set of mysterious rocks which, it is believed, move on their own. Moving rocks, sailing stones, sliding rocks – you may call them what you like – but they will surely startle you.

Sailing Stones of Death Valley

As my sister walked on the Playa floor, she saw hundreds of stones scattered all around. Made of a tough mineral mix called Dolomite, the sailing stones of Death Valley are in all shapes and sizes and each of them have a trail following them. Some stones even turn over time changing the width and pattern of their trail.

These trails and tracks, she was told, were formed by the stones as and when they moved on the Playa floor. Most of them are about 2.5 centimetre deep, 3-12 inches wide and hundreds of feet long. However, her curiosity (and the mystery of the sailing stones of Death Valley) only increased as the guide told her that no one had ever seen those stones move.

Of the Incredible and the Mysterious

How then did the tracks appear on the dry lakebed of Playa? If no one has ever seen the stones move from one position to another, how did the trails form behind each of the stones? The movement and trails have been attributed to magnetism, alien intervention, magic and what not.

Post many other attempts, two geologists – Robert Sharp of Cal Tech and Dwight Carey of UCLA – decided to closely track the movement of 30 stones on the Playa and wooden planks were planted around those stones. It was then thought that if (according to an earlier theory) ice sheets were responsible for the movement, the ice would freeze the wooden planks thus restricting the mobility of the stones. However, some stones still escaped and created their tracks.

Latest Developments

The most recent theory has been developed by scientist Ralph D. Lorenz and his team. They’ve suggested that the stones float due to small ice rafts which “allow the rocks to move by buoyantly reducing the reaction and friction forces at the bed.” Read the citation here.

I had heard of underwater museums and volcano grills, but never had I imagined that there was a place on Earth where stones could move on their own.

So next time you plan your California vacation, try your hand at figuring out the mystery behind the sailing stones of Death Valley. And if you do, don’t forget to share it with me in the Comments section below!

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