Scientists Solve Mystery of Ireland's Moving Boulders 127
Hugh Pickens writes "How has a 78-ton boulder traveled 130 meters inland from the sea since 1991? Live Science reports that geologists have puzzled for years over the mysterious boulders that litter the desolate coastline of Ireland's Aran Islands that somehow move on their own when no one is looking. The sizes of the boulders in the formations range 'from merely impressive to mind-bogglingly stupendous,' writes geoscientist Rónadh Cox. While some researchers contend that only a tsunami could push these stones, new research finds that plain old ocean waves, with the help of some strong storms, do the job. Some boulders move inland at an average rate of nearly 3 meters per decade, with one rock moving 3.5 meters vertically and 69 meters horizontally in one year. The team compared modern high-altitude photos of the coastline to a set of meticulous maps from 1839 that identified the location of the boulders' ridges — nearly 100 years after the most recent tsunami to hit the region, which struck in 1755. The Aran cliffs rise nearly vertically out of the Atlantic (video), leaving very deep water close to the shore. As waves slam into the sheer cliff, that water is abruptly deflected back out toward the oncoming waves. This backflow may amplify subsequent waves resulting an occasional storm wave that is much larger than one would expect. 'There's a tendency to attribute the movement of large objects to tsunami,' says Cox. 'We're saying hold the phone. Big boulders are getting moved by storm waves.'"
Re:Well holy god (Score:5, Insightful)
My understanding is that they have not solved it, rather they have just suggested a mechanism. They found that even when there are no tsunamis the rocks are moving. They now think that storm waves could be a reason for it. If I understand correctly, they have not done the calculations for it.
So, now we have a hypothesis. Once the calculations and simulations are done, only then we will know for sure. Moving such big rocks means a lot of energy. Especially when it doesnt float. Can a positive feedback loop generate this much energy ? If so, who knows, positive feedback tidal waves could be the next big thing in renewable energy :)
Re:Wow (Score:3, Insightful)
Well I'm Irish, living in Ireland, and as far as I can tell from watching the country fall apart around me; no, things don't seem to have moved on very much at all.
The country was bankrupted by a drunken Taoiseach, and is now being pauperised by religious one. People are emigrating in droves and TDs respond by complain about the problems of "fornication". Landlords, lawyers, and bankers are living high on an ascendancy hoc while everyone else is being squeezed dry, and the country is once again a pawn in the games of European great powers.
Frankly, things here don't seem to have moved on very much from the 1850s.
Personally, I found the joke amusing. I'm faced with enough incompetence to know that it's probably half true anyway.