[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.

[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.

[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.

[Bulwyf]

I’ll take glacial deposit for $100 dollars Alex. heh

That’s generally how things got moved around into the strange positions we see them today, although this does look odd even for that.

[aruanan]

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

See post 25. It's funny how NASA refers to a dissertation that flatly denies the claim made in the sentence referring to it.