How did
those big rocks end up on that strange terrain? One of the more unusual places
here on Earth occurs inside Death Valley, California, USA. There a dried
lakebed named Racetrack Playa exists that is almost perfectly flat, with the
odd exception of some very large stones, one of which is pictured above. Now
the flatness and texture of large playa like Racetrack are fascinating but not
scientifically puzzling -- they are caused by mud flowing, drying, and cracking
after a heavy rain. Only recently, however, has a viable scientific hypothesis
been given to explain how 300-kilogram stones ended up near the middle of such
a large flat surface. 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
momentarily slick lakebed.
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