The Mysterious Mima Mounds

Thousands of bubble-like mounds of grass are found on a grass field near Olympia in Washington, DC, in the northwest. These humps are called Mima Hills, also known as Mima Prairie, and are more than two meters high and large. Ever since the discovery in 1841 by Charles Wilkes, a U.S. Navy officer and explorer, these mysterious hills have aroused the curiosity, curiosity, speculation, and debate of scientists.

Wilkes initially thought these hills were the tombs of ancient Indians but when he ordered his men to dig, they found no bones. These hills are thousands of years old. , But it is still not known who created them or what they are. Over the years, dozens of theories have been developed that cover everything from earthquakes to glaciers, gophers, and aliens.

The Mima Hills are not unique to Washington. Similar patterns have been found in US states other than Antarctica and around the world. In California and Oregon they are known as the Hogwarts Hills, in New Mexico and Colorado as the “Prerick Mountains” and in the southeastern states as the “Pimple Hills”. South Africans call them “Heweltz” or small hills, while Brazilians call them “Campos de Murundas” or hill fields.

The shape, size and structure of the hills vary from place to place. They are usually round and oval in shape, spreading downwards on dark soils mixed with organic matter, including gravel, and usually mixed with small rocks.

One of the most popular theories among scientists is that pocket gophers, a type of rat that builds underground tunnels, may be the cause of such construction. According to this theory, each mimetic hill develops through the efforts of several generations of gophers. However, there is no evidence that pocket gophers live in hilly areas. Another problem is the large rocks where the Mima Hills are commonly found. These rocks are too big for gophers to dig. In addition, Mima Hills are found in areas where gophers are not found and have not been inhabited before.

Another theory suggests that pits, known as “sun cups”, collect debris, rocks, and debris that flow when ice melts. This means that over time they form hills.

The Mima Hills in Washington, D.C., actually cover about 30,000 acres and once had about 900,000 hills, but almost everything was destroyed by housing development, road construction, agriculture, and other development projects. The remaining hills are now designated as a National Natural Landmark and are protected under the protection of the Mima Mountains Natural Area. The Mima Hills are also part of the Scatter Creek unit, located in South Thurston County, Washington.

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