Ploughing boulder on Whit Fell

Thanks to Keith for pointing out to me these boulders that are gradually working their way down the side of Whit Fell above Devoke Water. The give-away is that earth is piling up on the downhill side and that a gap is opening up behind. The blocks moving like this were up to 2 metres long and maybe 1 cubic metre in volume, giving a mass of maybe 3 tonnes. I found a link to a much more impressive one in the Cairngorms http://www.landforms.eu/cairngorms/ploughing%20blocks.htm This article suggests that the stone is a good conductor of heat. That will conduct heat up from the ground, leaving the ground colder. The water there will be more likely to freeze. As this melts in the spring, the boulder is able to move downwards. At a few millimetres a year, this block will have been going for a couple of decades. It's nearer the sea than the Cairngorms and lower so perhaps does not freeze as often.