Another mainstream mechanism: weathering/exfoliation can produce smooth, rounded 'onion-skin' surfaces
Claim about Valley of the Planets (Wan Tikofi / Wadi al-Kawakeb) · Stance: supporting
Even without concretion growth, certain rocks develop smooth rounded forms through weathering processes; the site’s 'polished' look may reflect long-term desert exposure and exfoliation.
Site
Evidence for and against
- Geomorphological map of the Tadrart Acacus massif (SW Libya)
Other claims about Valley of the Planets (Wan Tikofi / Wadi al-Kawakeb)
- A remote Libyan valley is popularly known as the 'Valley of the Planets' for its rounded/discoidal boulders
- The valley is usually described within the broader Tadrart Acacus (Akakus) landscape context
- A mainstream hypothesis: the boulders are natural concretions and/or differential cementation remnants
- ‘Living stones’ claims are popular, but evidence for motion/growth at this site is weak
- Attribution to NASA ('NASA explored/identified it') is often asserted but rarely documented with primary references
- Alternative hypothesis: the boulders were shaped or arranged by people (disputed)
- Alternative hypothesis: the boulders are evidence of extraterrestrial activity (disputed)
- Meta-claim: there appears to be little peer‑reviewed work focused specifically on this boulder field
- Holocene lakes and wet phases could have influenced weathering/cementation processes (contextual, not proven)