Scientists are currently arguing about the origin of two giant rocks located on a cliff more than 15m high in Eleuthera Island – Bahamas.
Scientists do not know exactly how the two giant rocks appeared on the cliff more than 15m high. They can’t roll to the top of this cliff and can’t fall from another because there is no cliff around them higher than the cliff they are currently on.
The two giant rocks mentioned above, called “Cow and Bull “, are many times taller than an adult and weigh about 1,000 tons. These two giant rocks were originally a tourist attraction, but in recent years they have become a scientific mystery. Some scientists suggest that their special location 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), reported that two giant rocks were hit by catastrophic superstorms. brought to the region more than 100,000 years ago, when sea levels were higher and the climate more dangerous.
Two giant rocks, called “Cow and Bull”, on Eleuthera Island – Bahamas. (Photo: Washington Post).
Mr Hansen warned that these conditions could return if the polar ice melts rapidly, upsetting ocean currents and potentially causing other unpredictable consequences.
However, a new study concludes that the two giant rocks mentioned above can be carried by strong waves to the area without the need for a super storm. Published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) at the end of October, the study by expert Alessio Rovere from the University of Bremen (Germany) and colleagues say that today’s strong storms It is also possible to move the two giant rocks mentioned above if the current sea level rises by 6-9m, equal to the sea level at the last ice melt (Eemian), which occurred about 116,000 – 129,000 years ago. .
This also means that when sea levels rise in the future, they can unleash the ocean’s destructive power without the need for strong winds from super typhoons.
Contradictory opinions surrounding research published on October 30 suggest that the controversy over the origin of the two giant rocks is likely to continue for a long time.
Mr. Hearty and Mr. Hansen suggest that during a period of climate change that occurred more than 100,000 years ago, waves caused by super typhoons brought them to their current position from a lower cliff. According to Hearty, other rocks on the island of Eleuthera were swept away even further.
Mr. Rovere and his colleagues went to Eleuthera in 2016 to study and supplement Mr. Hearty’s hypothesis. After research, they concluded that with high sea levels like in the last ice melt (Eemian), giant rocks like ” Cows and Bulls” can be hit by waves of about velocities. 32-41km/h displacement.
The hypothesis of this study is that the rocks stood on the edge of the cliff and were swept inland to their current location. This contrasts with Mr. Hearty’s claim that they were moved to their current location from a much lower area.
With sea levels as high as in the Eemian era, according to Mr. Rovere’s research team, storms such as Hurricane Andrew (1992), Superstorm Sandy (2012) and Hurricane Perfect (1991), could produce enough waves. powerful to teleport two giant rocks on the island of Eleuthera.
The controversy surrounding two giant rocks on the island of Eleuthera shows how limited human understanding of how the ocean will respond to climate change. Sea levels are slowly rising as climate change melts the ice, and as the oceans warm, they could cause more devastating superstorms.