Sliding Rocks on Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park: First Observation of Rocks in Motion
Figure 4
GPS-instrumented rock with its rock trail.
The GPS unit with its battery pack is inserted into a cavity bored into the top of the rock. The GPS continuously logs its position after a switch is triggered by the stone moving away from a magnet set in the playa. The surface of the playa is frozen in this image, but the ice had melted or was floating when the trail formed. Image by Mike Hartmann.