Sailing stones
Sign in to saveGeological phenomenon where rocks move and inscribe long tracks along a smooth valley floor without human or animal intervention
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, Sailing stones is referenced by 12 other articles, and connects out to Badwater Basin, Milky Way and NASA.
Vinony files it under Death Valley, Death Valley National Park and Natural history of the Mojave Desert.
Its subject is documented across 28 Wikipedia language editions.
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- stone
- Country
- United States
- Image
- Death-Valley-Recetrack.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Sliding rocks of Racetrack Playa
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~16 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A sailing stone in Racetrack Playa
Sailing stones (also called sliding rocks, walking rocks, rolling stones, and moving rocks) are part of the geological phenomenon in which rocks move and inscribe long tracks along a smooth valley floor without animal intervention. The movement of the rocks occurs when large, thin sheets of ice floating on an ephemeral winter pond move and break up due to wind. Trails of sliding rocks have been observed and studied in various locations, including Little Bonnie Claire Playa, in Nevada, and most famously at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California, where the number and length of tracks are notable.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sailing stones” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.