Mammoth Rocks

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Give the title of this blog entry you could be forgiven for replying ‘They probably did!’ However, Mammoth Rocks is in fact a place in Sonoma County, California.

It has always had this name but it has only recently taken on a true meaning. The outcrop, one of several in the area, stands on a raised beach. I believe one of the rocks is also called ‘Sunshine Rock’ due to it’s property of reflecting sunlight. Several of the rocks in this area have polished surfaces.

They have been polished over millennia by animals rubbing up against them so often and so regularly they have been worn away to a shiny surface; and these are not soft rocks. Adjacent to mammoth Rock is a shallow depression that was probably a mud wallow. Animals would wallow in the mud and then scratch those difficult to reach areas on the rocks. Only recently has it has been noted by the scientific community that some polished areas are too high for modern day animals. It is believed they were polished by Mammoths.

It was disappointing to note that the rocks were not being protected in any way and were being used by climbers. No information signs were erected and locals, including park officials, seemed unaware of the significance of what they have.

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