Racetrack Playa

June 01, 2006

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Provided and copyright by: Catherine Neish, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Summary authors & editors: Catherine Neish

The photo of above an isolated boulder on a former lake bed was taken at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, California on March 31, 2006. This boulder (and others near by) left tracks as they slid across the playa, yet evidently no one has ever witnessed them moving. The exact mechanism of their movement is not known, but it's believed they might be pushed by strong wind across low friction (wetted) surface.

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