A gravity hill, also known as a magnetic hill (and sometimes a mystery hill or a gravity road), is a place where the layout of the surrounding land produces the optical illusion that a very slight downhill slope appears to be an uphill slope. Thus, a car left out of gear will appear to be rolling uphill due to gravity.[1]
There are hundreds of gravity hill locations around the world. See list of magnetic hills.
Explanation
The slope of gravity hills is an optical illusion, although sites are often accompanied by claims that magnetic or even supernaturalforces are at work.
The most important factor contributing to the illusion is a completely or mostly obstructed horizon; without a horizon, judging the slope of a surface is difficult as a reliable reference is missing. Objects one would normally assume to be more-or-lessperpendicular to the ground (such as trees) may actually be leaning, offsetting the visual reference. The illusion is similar to the well-known Ames room, in which balls can also appear to roll against gravity.
Spook Hill is a gravity hill (an optical illusion where cars appear to roll uphill) in Lake Wales, Florida.
Spook Hill is located on the Lake Wales Ridge, a geologically significant range of sand and limestone hills, which were islands from two to three million years ago, when sea levels were much higher than at present. Many species of plants and animals evolved in isolation and are endemic to the Ridge. Most are threatened or endangered by possible extinction.
The attraction is adjacent to Spook Hill Elementary School that adopted Casper The Friendly Ghost as their school mascot. The attraction is also in close proximity to Bok Tower.
Spook Hill received national media attention when an article about it appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on October 25, 1990, and it was featured in a segment on CBS Morning News with Charles Osgood on November 5, 1990.
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The Mystery Spot is a tourist attraction located near Santa Cruz, California. It was discovered in 1939 and opened in 1940. The operators of the small site (which is about 150 feet in diameter) claim that it is a place where the laws of physics and gravity do not apply and provide a number of demonstrations in support of these claims.
The official website speculates that extraterrestrials buried unearthly metals or a spacecraft beneath the Spot, or that carbon dioxide seeps out of the earth. Another popular speculation is that gravity is affected here, causing nausea and incorrect instrument readings.
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