Scientific explanation of the phenomenon of stone overlap mysteriously

Huge rocks overlapping "unreasonably" and not falling for thousands of years is a special phenomenon in California, which makes geologists surprised and confusing.

Decipher the mysterious stone overlap

However, according to a new study, they can provide clues, helping people understand the working mechanism of the famous San Andreas Fault .

Two stones overlap for thousands of years in the US (Source: RT)

Despite being close to many fault lines, these granite stones , also known as Temporary Balance Stones (PBR), have never been dumped. This is the mystery that made the scientific community wonder how to find the answer.

Although there are about 1,200 PBR in California and Western Nevada, researchers decided to focus only on a group of rocks in the San Bernadino Mountains - simply because they seem to stand up to all the effects from the party. out.

These PBRs, which range in age from 10,000 to 18,000 years old, are very close to the San Jacinto Fault Road, part of the larger and more famous San Andreas Fault System. This is a particularly dangerous area, due to earthquakes.

" Based on what we already know about the impact trait that earthquakes and fault lines cause, PBRs should not exist," said Lisa Grant Ludwig, lead scientist of the Dai study. Study California on PBR, for Discovery News. Her research and colleagues have just been published in the latest issue of the Seismological Research Letters.

But after more than a decade of research, Grant Ludwig and her team found that the rocks were still standing by the way the San Andreas and San Jacinto fault lines acted on each other.

In other words, during earthquakes , the vibrations emanating from these two fault lines have either self-destructed or weakened each other in areas with PBRs. That is why these overlapping stones can still stand still without falling.

" Those fault lines affect each other and it seems that in the previous period, they sometimes emitted concussions together, " Grant Ludwig said. "We dare not say for sure, but based on the collected data, this is an important possibility that can happen, which is what we should consider when developing an anti-earthquake plan."

Scientists used 3D computer models to study PBRs and calculate how much force needed to make them topple. They offer three earthquake scenarios: a 7.8-magnitude match, starting from South San Andreas; a match of 7.4 on Richter near San Bernardino and a strong match of 7.9 on Richter near Fort Tejon.

The computer found that under these 3 scenarios, PBRs collapsed. But if they did, they would have collapsed long ago, especially during the period of many major earthquakes in 1812 and 1857. In fact, the PBRs have not collapsed yet, showing that they are located at the two fault lines. interacts with each other, impairing the impact of vibrations.

But with the assumption that two fault lines need to work at the same time so that PBRs don't collapse, the earthquake they created in Southern California will certainly not be small. Therefore, the study of PBRs near two fault lines will help US officials prepare better responses to future earthquakes, such as changing the construction regulations, changing the design of the road system. water, electricity, telecommunications, mapping high risk areas .

It is known that PBRs formed when the process of geological tectonics pushed large rocks from the ground to the surface. In the course of these rocks slowly creeping up, impacting from the wind, water and other natural elements will erode all the soil and break a part of the rock, gradually turning them into overlapping rocks. , balanced very special.