Saturday 21 December 2013

‘Digital gophers’ solve Mima mound mystery

Mima moundsThe mystery of one of the strangest landscape features on the planet - Mima mounds - has been solved, scientists say.
These geological anomalies are circular hillocks that cover great swathes of land. But scientists have been puzzled about what causes them.
Plains pocket gopher
Now new research suggests that tiny burrowing animals are their architects.

The findings will be presented at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

Mima mounds, which measure up to 2m (7ft) in height and 50m (160ft) in diameter, are found all around the world. However, they are most common in North America.



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