A listener theory suggests carts rolled across tuff while it was still pliable — like wet cement. Pyroclastic surfaces can harden top-down, leaving lower layers soft. Similar rounded ruts at White Sands were attributed to drag carts in soft conditions. This could explain apparent splashing marks along the rut edges. 🧱
Theory proposed: ruts formed while volcanic tuff was still pliable and soft
Site mentioned
📍 Cwm Era Slate Quarry, Dulas Valley;Fronfelin; Fronfelin Slate Quarry🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- Listener theory proposes carts moved across the tuff while the surface was still pliable
- Pyroclastic flow surfaces can harden before lower layers, similar to wet cement
- Primitive cements made from wood ash can remain pliable for long periods without heat hardening
- Footprints have been documented in unsolidified volcanic tuff that cooled but did not fully harden
- Rounded ruts at White Sands were attributed to primitive drag carts in similar conditions
- The theory accounts for areas with apparent splashing marks in the ruts
Sources
A new hypothesis about Cart Ruts - ResearchGateresearchgate.net
In the present report, Italian researcher and engineer Alberto Donini sets out a new hypothesis concerning the origin of the enigmatic "Cart ...
Misraħ Għar il-Kbir - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
It is best known for its "cart ruts", a complex network of tracks carved in the rock. The age and purpose of the tracks is uncertain with estimates of their ...
'Oldest known' vehicle tracks found in New Mexico parksacbee.com
Researchers believe fossilized tracks discovered in White Sands National Park, New Mexico, belong to one of these cart-like constructions.
The Extent of the White Chuck Tuff, a High Temperature Pyroclastic ...cedar.wwu.edu
The White Chuck Tuff, a massive deposit approximately 15 m thick, caps two terraces in the White Chuck River valley covering an area of approximately 5 km 2 at ...
Micromechanics of brittle faulting and cataclastic flow in Alban Hills tuffagupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
In some cases, tuffs can result from repeated pyroclastic flows in which the surface cools more rapidly and becomes less vitrified than the ...
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