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Racetrack Playa Research Paper

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Their photos last Dec. 21 solved a mystery of the Racetrack Playa that has long puzzled both visitors and scientists: What is it that moves rocks across flat dirt in the heart of the hottest, driest place on Earth? The rocks that dot the Racetrack Playa are not small either — some weigh in at 600 pounds or more. The proof that those rocks are indeed moving is what they leave behind them: trails in the dirt. The trails wiggle like snakes or form complete loops or even rectangles. They are cut sharply into the ground — but no other tracks are visible. Various explanations for the rocks ' movement have been proposed over the years. Among them are hurricane-force winds that blow just when the lake 's surface is briefly covered with rain
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