The fiery history of the Door to Hell
The sliding stones of Death Valley
Cracking the scientific codes
Extreme life in extreme places
YOUR GOAL
Master of Strange natural wonders
misslily Cracking the scientific codes
The heavy desert rocks are sliding! (On the ice!) / A windy winter sheet is gliding! (So precise!)
misslily Explorer George Kourounis became the first person to descend to the bottom of the Darvaza crater in 2013.
misslily The rocks move when thin sheets of ice, pushed by light winds, drag the stones across slippery mud.
misslily Decode clues to discover what moves Death Valley's rocks and fuels the Door to Hell.
Ice sheet power: The ice sheets that push Death Valley's rocks are as thin as window glass, yet they can move boulders.
A dry, flat area at the bottom of a desert basin that temporarily becomes a shallow lake. In 2014, scientists finally solved the mystery of the sliding rocks on California's Racetrack Playa.
What technology did researchers attach to the experimental Death Valley rocks to track their movement?
Who was the first explorer to descend to the bottom of the burning Darvaza gas crater?
In what year did scientists finally capture the first video evidence of the rocks moving in Death Valley?
What weather phenomenon acts as the primary sail to push the heavy rocks in Death Valley?
Why do the sailing stones of Death Valley move so slowly that the motion is barely visible?
What type of ice is responsible for helping the sailing stones of Death Valley move?