The Equinox Project

The Inyo County Animation



The show starts a little after sunrise on the morning of the equinox. Most of the boulder is in shadow. As the sun rises a spot of light comes through a little window. This changes to look like a snake with its mouth open slithering from the solid stone. There is a challenge for the snake to cross before it gets to the egg. A valley in the boulder. The snake crosses this without a problem. A few minutes later the top jaw hits the upper portion of the egg. Of course it continues to eat the whole thing. After the egg is eaten, the shape of the snake grows very large and joins with the sunlit area around the boulder.

The man made design is very old. Although no method of dating is possible, the age of the man pecked design can be estimated to be over two thousand years old. It is probably much older. The center oval was not recognized as an egg until the animation was discovered. The earliest explorers to the site called it the center of a rough set of concentric circles. Since the outside circles do not seem to do anything, they may be considered a decorative enhancement.

There are other things pecked on to the boulder besides the egg and decorative rings. At the south end of the boulder there appears to be a design that looks like a tree. There is also a design that looks like a rayed sun symbol. Next to the sun symbol is a very faint circle. On the east side of the boulder there is a meandering design with a circle that is split in two by the main line. All these designs appear to be made about the same time as the egg and surrounding circles.


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