Cart Ruts: select the pins on the map
Cart ruts are parallel grooves in the rock, running for several meters in parallel without ever converging. They are generally spaced between one meter and one and a half meters (3.3–5 ft) apart and have a depth of up to 60 cm (24 in).
Why are cart ruts carved into the rock?
We don’t know, but there’s nothing to exclude the possibility that they also existed elsewhere; grooves in rock are capable of surviving for millennia.
Characteristics of cart ruts
In addition to their main features—on which it’s best not to jump to conclusions but which resemble train tracks—they are sometimes intersected in pairs, as if crossing each other. In some places, such as Turkey, the intersections of these “tracks” appear particularly dense and crowded.
Another mysterious feature is their sudden interruption at the edge of cliffs. If they served a functional purpose and were thus intentionally designed, the abrupt endings suggest a possible ground collapse. The mystery lies in the fact that these collapses are in some cases so sudden and deep that it suggests the interrupted cart ruts may have been there tens of thousands of years ago.
They also sometimes disappear—in the sense that they continue below sea level, such as here in Malta. We know the sea level rose by approximately 120–130 meters (394–427 ft) following the so-called Younger Dryas event, which began 12,800 years ago and ended about 1,200 years later. Although, for example in Malta, we have at least one case of a continuation underwater, to date there is no evidence of cart ruts below more than 120 meters (394 ft) relative to current sea level. However, this remains one of those clues to keep in mind in case new deductions can be drawn.
Cart ruts at the foot of the cliffs © Copyright Gwen and James Anderson and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Where they are found
They are found in many areas of the Mediterranean, from Sardinia, to Sicily, to Turkey. Multiple sources claim they are also present in America and China, but at the time of writing this page, no verifiable evidence or geographic coordinates could be found. This page will be updated as more information becomes available.
Explore the locations
In the map above you can select the pins related to cart ruts locations around the world and access more detailed pages.
Bull Creek Cart Ruts, Austin TX, USA
Alphabetical index: Bull Creek
Bull Creek, in the heart of Austin, Texas, holds traces of ancient peoples, Comanche trails, and old wagon ruts carved into the rock.
Syracuse Cart Ruts, Sicily
Alphabetical index: Cart ruts Siracusa
Syracuse is the place in Sicily where the cart ruts phenomenon can be observed most extensively.
Pranu Efis cart ruts, Pimentel, Sardinia
Alphabetical index: Pranu Efis, Sardegna
At the Pranu Efis necropolis, we can observe some of the many examples of cart ruts found in the Mediterranean.
St. George’s Bay Cart Ruts, Birżebbuġa, Malta
Alphabetical index: St. George, Malta
Among all known cart ruts, those at St. George’s Bay are certainly among the most intriguing, as they provide a rare example of cart ruts that continue beneath the sea.
Phrygian Valley Cart Ruts, Turkey
Alphabetical index: Valle Frigia
The Phrygian Valley and its mysterious cart ruts: a place of rock-cut temples, Kybele, Gordion, and secrets carved into the ancient Anatolian stone.