Scary warning from 2 giant rocks on the cliff

Scientists are currently arguing about the origin of two giant rocks lying on cliffs higher than 15m in the island of Eleuthera - Bahamas.

Scientists do not know exactly how the two giant rocks appeared on the cliff higher than 15m. They cannot roll down the top of this cliff and cannot even fall from another cliff because there are no cliffs above the current cliff they are lying on.

The two giant rocks mentioned above are called "Cows and Bulls ", many times higher than an adult and weigh about 1,000 tons. These two giant rocks are a tourist destination but in recent years, they have become a scientific mystery. Some scientists argue that their particular position is related to past climate change events.

Two years ago, renowned climate scientist James Hansen based on the work of geologist Paul Hearty of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), said two giant rocks have suffered from catastrophic super typhoons brought to the region more than 100,000 years ago, when the sea level was higher and the climate was more dangerous.

Picture 1 of Scary warning from 2 giant rocks on the cliff
Two giant rocks, called "Cows and Bulls", on the island of Eleuthera - Bahamas.(Photo: Washington Post).

Hansen cautions that these conditions could return if the polar ice sheets melted quickly, upset the current and could cause other unpredictable consequences.

However, a new study concludes that the two giant rocks above can be swept to the area by strong waves. Published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in late October, research by expert Alessio Rovere from Bremen University (Germany) and colleagues says the storms are strong today. It is also possible to move the above two giant rocks if the current sea level rises by 6-9m, which is equal to the sea level in the last Eemian period, about 116,000 - 129,000 years ago. .

This also means that in the future, they can unleash the destructive power of the ocean without the need for strong winds from super typhoons.

Different opinions around research published on October 30 show that the controversy about the origin of the two giant rocks is likely to continue for a long time.

Mr. Hearty and Mr. Hansen said that during the period of climate change more than 100,000 years ago, the waves caused by super typhoons brought them to their present position from a lower cliff. According to Hearty, other stones on Eleuthera Island were even further swept away.

Mr. Rovere and his colleagues came to Eleuthera in 2016 to research and complement his Hearty hypothesis. After the discovery process, they concluded that with the high sea level as in the last Eemian period, giant rocks like " Cows and Bulls" could be hit by waves of about 32-41km / hour shift.

The hypothesis of this study is that the stones stand on the edge of the cliff and are swept towards the land to their current location. This contrasts with Hearty's assertion that they are moved to their current location from a much lower area.

With sea level as high as in the Eemian period, according to Rovere's research group, storms such as Hurricane Andrew (1992), super typhoon Sandy (2012) and Perfect Storm (1991), can cause enough waves strong to move two giant stones on Eleuthera island.

The controversy surrounding the two giant rocks on Eleuthera shows a limited human understanding of how the ocean will react when climate changes. Sea levels are gradually rising due to climate change making ice melt and when the ocean warms up, they can cause even more super typhoons.