27 August 2014 · Published online
Richard D. Norris, James M. Norris, Ralph D. Lorenz, Jib Ray & Brian Jackson
PLOS ONE · Field observations
Direct observations and instrumented stones helped explain Death Valley’s famous moving-rock trails: light winds drive thin floating ice panels that push stones over wet mud.
Method
The team combined GPS-equipped rocks, weather measurements, time-lapse cameras and visits during winter movement events. Several instrumented stones recorded slow, coordinated journeys.
What to keep in mind
The observations establish a mechanism under the measured conditions. They do not provide a separate reconstruction of every older trail, and some movement events were not directly observed.
Original paper & source
Read the original source record →
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105948
Original paper abstract, methods and results reviewed. UKPX reference added and checked 7 November 2026. The date above belongs to the paper.