Updated Monday 26th August 1996.
Image by Eltjo Haselhoff. Copyright 1996.
Diagram by Eltjo Haselhoff. Copyright 1996.
I first spotted this very unconventionally shaped pattern during my aerial trip last week, together with Arjan Dekker, without knowing where I was (except 'in the air'). Fortunately it had also been reported by a local inhabitant. Seen from the air, it seemed to me like a hoax because of the irregular and unconventional shape. When I visited the formation however, I was impressed by it size (57 m total length) and particularly because of the extremely smooth orientation of the stalks. The formation was located upon a fairly steep hill, and the stalks were squeezed into the numerous tractor traces to resemble water floating down a mountain river. Very impressive. The soil was extremely soft and 'airy', but also full of crumbs and sharp ridges. Just by barely touching those ridges, they would break immediately. Nevertheless, the stalks were bent around these ridges and crumbs! I have some video footage, showing how I remove the stalks from the crumbs and then touch them, after which they immediately fall apart. Next week I hope to upload some GIF files, aerial and close-up. Other detail: hardly any correlation between the direction of the 'lanes' and the orientation of the stalks. I mean: on many places the stalks were oriented 'skewed' with respect to the edges of the pattern.
An aerial shots. From the air this formation looked very unconventional and irregular.
Video Captures by Eltjo Haselhoof. Copyright 1996.
Pole shot from the ground. I was impressed by the size of this thing and the complicated way the stalks were flattened.
A Video Capture by Eltjo Haselhoff. Copyright 1996.
Standing crop in the tractor trail. Does this mean anything? Over all, the stalks were squeezed tightly into the tram lines, except here.
A Video Capture by Eltjo Haselhoff. Copyright 1996.
