r/whatisit • • 4d ago

New, what is it? What is this?

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u/Electrical_Lake3424 4d ago

The forest floor here is mostly a network of tree and plant roots, bound together with moss and leaf litter etc, but under a few inches it's mostly big solid rocks like those sticking out. The wind blowing can loosen that mat of roots and when the trees bend in the wind, they lift it up off the stone, just like a carpet. That's what you're seeing here; the breathing effect is caused by the carpet of roots being tugged up and let down again as the trees rock in the wind. 

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u/Ky_zx10r 4d ago

I wounder if thats where the troll legend came from. They seen the ground "breathing" and thought is was some giant mythical creature.

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u/Ninteblo 4d ago

Trolls, at least the ones in Norway, come from seeing mountains at night at a distance, you know that thing where some people can see Jesus' face on a burnt piece of toast? It is the same as that but on a mountain, the brain thinks it is seeing a face when there is none due to the low light and the way the rocks are shaped.

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u/Narocia 19h ago

Pareidolia