What are the physical features of Racetrack Playa?
Racetrack is dry for almost the entire year and has no vegetation. When dry, its surface is covered with small but firm hexagonal mud crack polygons that are typically 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) in diameter and about an inch (2.5 cm) thick. The polygons form in sets of three mud cracks at 120° to each other.
How do the rocks move at Racetrack Playa?
Moving Rocks Erosional forces cause rocks from the surrounding mountains to tumble to the surface of the Racetrack. Once on the floor of the playa the rocks move across the level surface leaving trails as records of their movements. Some of the moving rocks are large and have traveled as far as 1,500 feet.
Is Racetrack Playa flat or dry?
Racetrack Playa is a large, dry lakebed located in Death Valley National Park. It is fairly large, about 3 miles long (north to south) and 2 miles wide (east to west). It is extremely flat, with the northern end only being 1.5 inches higher than the southern end.
How did the mysterious tracks at Racetrack Playa form?
At Racetrack Playa, a dry lake bed at Death Valley National Park in California, it was a long-standing mystery that was finally cracked in 2014 by two cousins. They discovered that the rocks were nudged into motion by melting panels of thin floating ice, driven by light winds, in winter.
Why do rocks move in the desert?
They tumble down due to the forces of erosion, coming to rest on the parched ground below. Once they reach the level surface of the playa, the rocks somehow move horizontally, leaving perfect tracks behind them to record their path.
Why do the Death Valley rocks move?
The movement of the rocks occurs when large, thin sheets of ice floating on an ephemeral winter pond break up in the sun. Frozen during cold winter nights, these thin, floating ice panels are driven by wind and shove rocks at speeds up to 5 meters (16′) per minute.
Why do the rocks move in the desert?
Do you need 4wd in Death Valley?
You do not need a 4 wheel drive or even a high clearance vehicle for that matter in Death Valley. If you plan on seeing Titus Canyon or Race Track a 4 wheel drive/high clearance is a must. Driving Titus Canyon is similar to riding a mule down the Grand Canyon.
What is Death Valley covering?
Death Valley is the lowest point in North America. What many visitors mistake for snow covering the ground is actually a thick layer of salt on the valley floor. But how did the salt get there? Rain and minerals dissolved from rocks drain to lower elevations.
Are there Playas in Death Valley?
Famously known for being the hottest place on earth, Death Valley also sits at the driest and lowest elevation in North America. Its strangest feature of all is the mysterious Racetrack Playa. Here, rocks drift across the flat desert landscape, seemingly propelled by no power other than their own!