Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Sailing Stone in Death Valley

NASA ^ | February 22, 2012 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit: Nathan Alexander, Wikipedia]

[SunkenCiv]

I think there's been a topic or two about these before, but here ya go!

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[null and void]

You rock!

[doc1019]

And what does this have to do with Astronomy? I enjoy the “Astronomy Picture of the Day” greatly, however ...

[U-238]

Did you know that Death Valley is sinking? The valley has been sinking about 1/2 in per year.In relation to the valley, the Black Mountains under you are movng to your left as well as rising. The eroding mountains fill the valley at about the same rate as it sinks.

[umgud]

Unfortunately, as frequently happens in science, a seemingly surreal problem ends up having a relatively mundane solution. It turns out that high winds after a rain can push even heavy rocks across a temporarily slick lakebed.

Don't have an answer, but I'm not buying that wind pushed a 660 pound rock.

[U-238]

Death Valley is mentioned in several prominent Astronomy Books. In fact NASA tested the Viking probes to Mars here.

[doc1019]

Still, what does this have to do with our daily Astronomy picture of the day. This should be presented in “Our Geology Picture of The Day”, not here.

[U-238]

NASA has also Death Valley on their Earth Observatory site,too

[U-238]

Death Valley has similar geology to the Red Planet

[doc1019]

So, in my repartee of saved Astronomical pictures, I should consider this one as just another “astronomical phenomenon”?

[smokingfrog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1hoiHvOeGc

[U-238]

Death Valley is a important site on the planet and in Solar System.

[muffaletaman]

You do realize that it is “wind” that lifts a Boing 747-400 weighing 870,000 lbs (max takeoff wt) up into the air.

SO on an extremely “slick” (very low coefficient of friction) muddy surface, a very strong desert wind - which can easily exceed 100 mph - can generate enough horizontal force to break the rock free, and then, once it is moving, slide it these long distances.

Visualize a weatherman showing off in a hurricane, and being blown away down the road.

Weatherman - rock - basically the same thing... :-)

:-) to any weathermen, don’t be offended.

[umgud]

Not sold. BTW, a 747 has wings.

[Ken H]

Morelocks. That’s my guess.

[BigCinBigD]

“Don’t have an answer, but I’m not buying that wind pushed a 660 pound rock.”
Think of a beer being slid from on end of a bar to the other.

[lefty-lie-spy]

I’ve read about this for years. I first came across it in a strange phenomenon book from the 60s or early 70s and this was given as one particularly plausible explanation. Its really neat, but nothing new regarding science.

[ApplegateRanch]

but nothing new regarding science.

You obviously do not understand Science.

What makes this different than all those decades old speculations is that this is prefaced by, "Scientist says...".

[El Gato]

Not sold. BTW, a 747 has wings.

But a truck or a van doesn't, and the wind can push on those hard enough to tip then over or push them off the road.