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  • Hoodoos kiss at Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona, USA. The Heart of the Rocks Loop Trail (7 to 9 miles) makes an excellent day hike through fascinating arrays of hoodoos. 27 million years ago, huge volcanic eruptions laid down 2000 feet of ash and pumice which fused into rhyolitic tuff. This rock has eroded into fascinating hoodoos, spires, and balanced rocks which lie above the surrounding desert grasslands at elevations between 5100 and 7800 feet. At Chiricahua, the Sonoran desert meets the Chihuahuan desert, and the Rocky Mountains meet Mexico's Sierra Madre, making one of the most biologically diverse areas in the northern hemisphere. While we drove the dirt road to nearby Portal, Arizona, Carol saw a mountain lion crossing the road! Other animals here include javelina, coatimundi, bears, skunks, and deer.
    03AZ-13-17_Chiricahua_Hoodoos_Kissin...jpg
  • Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona: The Heart of the Rocks Loop Trail (7 to 9 miles) makes a perfect day hike through the hoodoos here. 27 million years ago, huge volcanic eruptions laid down 2000 feet of ash and pumice in this area, which fused into a rock known as rhyolitic tuff.  Since then this rock has eroded into fascinating hoodoos, spires, and balanced rocks which lie above the surrounding desert grasslands at elevations between 5100 and 7800 feet. At Chiricahua, the Sonoran desert meets the Chihuahuan desert, and the Rocky Mountains meet Mexico's Sierra Madre, making one of the most biologically diverse areas in the northern hemisphere. While we drove the dirt road to nearby Portal, Arizona, Carol saw a mountain lion crossing the road! Other animals here include javelina, coatimundi, bears, skunks, and deer. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    03AZ-13-07-Chiricahua-NM.jpg
  • A hiker admires hoodoos at Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona, USA. The Heart of the Rocks Loop Trail (7 to 9 miles) makes an excellent day hike through fascinating arrays of hoodoos. 27 million years ago, huge volcanic eruptions laid down 2000 feet of ash and pumice which fused into rhyolitic tuff. This rock has eroded into fascinating hoodoos, spires, and balanced rocks which lie above the surrounding desert grasslands at elevations between 5100 and 7800 feet. At Chiricahua, the Sonoran desert meets the Chihuahuan desert, and the Rocky Mountains meet Mexico's Sierra Madre, making one of the most biologically diverse areas in the northern hemisphere. While we drove the dirt road to nearby Portal, Arizona, Carol saw a mountain lion crossing the road! Other animals here include javelina, coatimundi, bears, skunks, and deer. For licensing options, please inquire.
    03AZ-12-01_Chiricahua-NM.jpg
  • A hiker rests on a hoodoo at Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona, USA. The Heart of the Rocks Loop Trail (7 to 9 miles) makes an excellent day hike through fascinating arrays of hoodoos. 27 million years ago, huge volcanic eruptions laid down 2000 feet of ash and pumice which fused into rhyolitic tuff. This rock has eroded into fascinating hoodoos, spires, and balanced rocks which lie above the surrounding desert grasslands at elevations between 5100 and 7800 feet. At Chiricahua, the Sonoran desert meets the Chihuahuan desert, and the Rocky Mountains meet Mexico's Sierra Madre, making one of the most biologically diverse areas in the northern hemisphere. While we drove the dirt road to nearby Portal, Arizona, Carol saw a mountain lion crossing the road! Other animals here include javelina, coatimundi, bears, skunks, and deer.
    03AZ-11-15_Chiricahua-Hoodoos.jpg
  • See colorful geologic rock patterns exposed by the Pacific Ocean at Harris Beach State Park, on US Highway 101, north of Brookings, Curry County, Oregon, USA.
    1202ORC-027_Oregon-coast.jpg
  • See colorful geologic rock patterns exposed by the Pacific Ocean at Harris Beach State Park, on US Highway 101, north of Brookings, Curry County, Oregon, USA.
    1202ORC-025_Oregon-coast.jpg
  • See colorful geologic rock patterns exposed by the Pacific Ocean at Harris Beach State Park, on US Highway 101, north of Brookings, Curry County, Oregon, USA.
    1202ORC-022_Oregon-coast.jpg
  • See colorful geologic rock patterns exposed by the Pacific Ocean at Harris Beach State Park, on US Highway 101, north of Brookings, Curry County, Oregon, USA.
    1202ORC-010_Oregon-coast.jpg
  • See colorful geologic rock patterns exposed by the Pacific Ocean at Harris Beach State Park, on US Highway 101, north of Brookings, Curry County, Oregon, USA.
    1202ORC-005_Oregon-coast.jpg
  • Artist's Palette geologic formation on Artists Drive, Death Valley National Park, California, USA. More than 5 million years ago, multiple volcanic eruptions deposited ash and minerals across the landscape, which chemically altered over time into a colorful paint pot of elements: iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium.
    1804SW-2306.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW2-166.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2741.jpg
  • Artist's Palette geologic formation on Artists Drive, Death Valley National Park, California, USA. More than 5 million years ago, multiple volcanic eruptions deposited ash and minerals across the landscape, which chemically altered over time into a colorful paint pot of elements: iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1804SW-2287-2300-Pano.jpg
  • Artist's Palette geologic formation on Artists Drive, Death Valley National Park, California, USA. More than 5 million years ago, multiple volcanic eruptions deposited ash and minerals across the landscape, which chemically altered over time into a colorful paint pot of elements: iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium.
    1804SW-2276.jpg
  • Colorful mountains reveal complex geologic forces above Artists Drive, in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2245.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2771.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW2-164.jpg
  • Artist's Palette geologic formation on Artists Drive, Death Valley National Park, California, USA. More than 5 million years ago, multiple volcanic eruptions deposited ash and minerals across the landscape, which chemically altered over time into a colorful paint pot of elements: iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium.
    1804SW-2303.jpg
  • Colorful mountains reveal complex geologic forces above Artists Drive, in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2231.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2758.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2755.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW-2753.jpg
  • Artist's Palette geologic formation on Artists Drive, Death Valley National Park, California, USA. More than 5 million years ago, multiple volcanic eruptions deposited ash and minerals across the landscape, which chemically altered over time into a colorful paint pot of elements: iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium.
    1804SW-2277.jpg
  • Hike Golden Canyon to see colorful geologic patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA.
    1804SW2-169.jpg
  • Colorful mountains reveal complex geologic forces above Artists Drive, in Death Valley NP, California, USA. Orange rock patterns in Death Valley National Park, California, USA. More than 5 million years ago, multiple volcanic eruptions deposited ash and minerals which chemically altered into a colorful paint pot of elements (iron, aluminum, magnesium and titanium).
    1804SW-2225.jpg
  • Orange, yellow, and white rock pattern, in Rio Achin Valley. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 9 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, near LLamac, Peru, South America.
    14PER-5028_rock-pattern.jpg
  • Rock pattern, in Rio Achin Valley. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 9 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, near LLamac, Peru, South America.
    14PER-5026_rock-pattern.jpg
  • Orange lobed rock pattern, in Rio Achin Valley. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 9 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, near LLamac, Peru, South America.
    14PER-5022_rock-pattern.jpg
  • Orange and white rock pattern, in Rio Achin Valley. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 9 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, near LLamac, Peru, South America.
    14PER-5019_rock-pattern.jpg
  • Lichen on blue-grey rock pattern with white dikes. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 6 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-4457_rock-pattern.jpg
  • Erosion created a hoodoo (rock pinnacle) at Punta Cuyoc (a pass at 16,200 feet or 4950 m) in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 5 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash.
    14PER-4277_hoodoo-Punta-Cuyoc.jpg
  • Ancient sea floor fossils lie in rocks exposed at Tuctucpampa in the Cordillera Huayhuash, Andes Mountains, Peru, South America. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 2 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash.
    14PER-2776_Huayhuash-fossils.jpg
  • Rock pattern, in Rio Achin Valley. Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 9 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, near LLamac, Peru, South America.
    14PER-5024_rock-pattern.jpg
  • Nevado Jirishanca Chico (5446 m). Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 3 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-3053_Jirishanca-Chico.jpg
  • Nevado Jirishanca Chico (5446 m). Geology: Cordillera Huayhuash is comprised of uplifted sedimentary sea floor rocks (quartzite, limestone, slate) with a base of granodiorite. Day 3 of 9 days trekking around the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Andes Mountains, Peru, South America.
    14PER-3033_Jirishanca-Chico.jpg
  • Bowling Ball Beach, Schooner Gulch State Park, south of Point Arena, Mendocino County, California, USA. Pacific Ocean waves have weathered coastal bluffs (steeply tilted beds of Miocene Galloway Formation, Cenozoic Era mudstone) to expose spherical sandstone concretions resting on bowling lanes. Concretions form because minerals of like composition tend to precipitate around a common center.
    1212CA-3100.jpg
  • Devils Tower National Monument. Bear Lodge Mountains, Black Hills, Wyoming, USA. Devils Tower is a butte of intrusive igneous rock exposed by erosion in the Bear Lodge Mountains, part of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County. Devils Tower (aka Bear Lodge Butte) rises dramatically 1267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, standing 867 feet from base to summit, at 5112 feet above sea level. Devils Tower was the first United States National Monument, established on September 24, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.
    171013_153315.jpg
  • Bowling Ball Beach, Schooner Gulch State Park, south of Point Arena, Mendocino County, California, USA. Pacific Ocean waves have weathered coastal bluffs (steeply tilted beds of Miocene Galloway Formation, Cenozoic Era mudstone) to expose spherical sandstone concretions resting on bowling lanes. Concretions form because minerals of like composition tend to precipitate around a common center. The panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    1212CA-2314-2315pan_Bowling-Ball-Bea...jpg
  • Los Cuernos soar above Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, South America. "The Horns" (about 2100 meters elevation) are a pinkish-white granodiorite intrusion formed 12 million years ago topped with an older crumbly dark sedimentary rock, exposed by freeze-thaw erosion and glaciation. Beyond a small pond (laguna) is turquoise Lake Nordenskjold. The foot of South America is known as Patagonia, a name derived from coastal giants, Patagão or Patagoni, who were reported by Magellan's 1520s voyage circumnavigating the world and were actually Tehuelche native people who averaged 25 cm (or 10 inches) taller than the Spaniards.  Published in 2008 for a Music Contact International trip brochure for Vermont Public Radio fundraising. Panorama stitched from 2 overlapping images.
    05CHI-10147-48pan_Los-Cuernos_Mirado...jpg
  • Fantastic rock spires of Meteora rise above a blue house with red tile roof in Kastraki, near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. Meteora (which means "suspended in the air") is a complex of six Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries built by medieval monks on natural rock pillars near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. The sandstone and conglomerate of Meteora were formed in the cone of a river delta estuary emerging into a sea about 60 million years ago, then later uplifted and eroded into pinnacles. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). UNESCO honored Meteora as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit early in the morning and in the off season to avoid crowds. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    01GRE-41-35_Blue-house-Meteora-pinna...jpg
  • Sitting on the edge of the Pulpit (Prekestolen) invokes fear and takes your break away, 1959 feet above Lysefjord, Forsand municipality, Rogaland county, Ryfylke traditional district, Norway, Europe. The nearest city is Jørpeland, in Strand municipality. 1981 photo.
    81NOR-08-38_Lysefjord,_legs_perch_Th...jpg
  • A mountain goat rests at Hidden Lake by Bearhat Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus, or Rocky Mountain Goat) is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. It is an even-toed ungulate in the family Bovidae, in subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), in the Oreamnos genus, but is NOT a true "goat" (or Capra genus). Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Glaciers carved spectacular U-shaped valleys and pyramidal peaks as recently as the Last Glacial Maximum (the last "Ice Age" 25,000 to 13,000 years ago). Of the 150 glaciers existing in the mid 1800s, only 25 active glaciers remain in the park as of 2010, and all may disappear as soon as 2020, say climate scientists.
    02GLA-06-26_Mountain-goat_Hidden-Lak...jpg
  • A mountain goat surveys Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus, or Rocky Mountain Goat) is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. It is an even-toed ungulate in the family Bovidae, in subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), in the Oreamnos genus, but is NOT a true "goat" (or Capra genus). Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks.
    02GLA-05-03_Mountain-goat_Hidden-Lak...jpg
  • Blue and white patterns penetrate brown sedimentary rocks at Dawson Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks.
    10GLA-2326.jpg
  • Blue dikes penetrate yellow orange sedimentary rocks at Dawson Pass in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks.
    10GLA-2322.jpg
  • Billion-year-old orange sedimentary rocks erode in complex patterns in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976).
    07GLA-0186.jpg
  • Billion-year-old rock breaks into blue, orange, and red patterns in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976).
    07GLA-0129.jpg
  • Billion-year-old sedimentary rock erodes into yellow and purple patterns in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976).
    07GLA-0102.jpg
  • Billion-year-old rock breaks into a jagged pattern in Glacier National Park, Montana. This image is permanently displayed on the glass of two large lightboxes measuring 19.6 by 8.4 meters (64.3 ft wide x 27.5 ft high) and 16.3 by 3.5 meters (53.6 ft wide x 11.6 ft high), which wrap corners of the following skyscraper constructed by Axiom Builders in June 2019: SODO & Residence Inn by Marriott, 610 10th Ave SW, in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA (on the Corner of 5th St and 10 Ave SW). Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976). Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these older sediments over newer Cretaceous age rocks.
    02GLA-04-38_Rock-edge-pattern.jpg
  • Wavy sandstone pattern by Carol Dempsey, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA. Starting more than 150 million years ago, great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs were compressed, uplifting, faulted, and eroded to form the park's fiery red sandstone formations. The park adjoins Lake Mead National Recreation Area at the Virgin River confluence, at an elevation of 2000 to 2600 feet (610-790 m), 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Las Vegas, USA. Park entry from Interstate 15 passes through the Moapa Indian Reservation.
    99NV-C2-13-wavy-sandstone_Valley-of-...jpg
  • Borrego Badlands desert in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA.
    94SW-02-36-Anza-Borrego-Badlands.jpg
  • The coastal fishhook cactus (Mammillaria dioica) is a member of the Ferocactus family, meaning fierce cactus. Photographed in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California. It usually blooms February to April, and also grows in Baja California, Mexico. Published in "Bizarre Blooms of Baja", April 2006 issue of Americas, the official magazine of the Organization of American States, or OAS.
    94SW-02-16-fish-hook-cactus-blooms.jpg
  • On Mount Rainier (14,411 feet elevation or 4392 meters), a climber at 12,000 feet ascends Emmons Glacier, which terminates 7,000 feet below in the White River which flows northwest into Puget Sound. Watersheds in the upper right flow south into the Columbia River. Little Tahoma (11,138 feet) rises at right.  Permitted climbers can ascend Mount Rainier via the Camp Sherman route starting at White River Campground, in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    82RAI-99-01-EmmonsGlacierClimber_16-...jpg
  • Naches Peak Loop Trail in October, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. In altitude, Washington varies from sea level up to 14,411 feet (4,392 meters) at the summit of Mount Rainier, which is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states, with 35 square miles (91 km²) of permanent snowfields and glaciers. This active stratovolcano (composite volcano) is in Pierce County, 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. Published by www.brightmountainfinancial.com, Seattle.
    02RAI-01-20-MtRainier-pond.jpg
  • Naches Peak Loop Trail in October, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. In altitude, Washington varies from sea level up to 14,411 feet (4,392 meters) at the summit of Mount Rainier, which is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states, with 35 square miles (91 square km) of permanent snowfields and glaciers. This active stratovolcano (composite volcano) is in Pierce County, 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. Published since 2013 on StayRainier.com and AltaCrystalResort.com web sites. Global warming and climate change: Mount Rainier’s glaciers shrank 22% by area and 25% by volume between 1913 and 1994 in conjunction with rising temperatures (Nylen 2004). As of 2009, monitored glaciers are continuing to retreat (NPS). Over the last century, most glaciers have been shrinking across western North America (Moore et al. 2009) and the globe (Lemke et al. 2007) in association with increasing temperatures.
    02RAI-01-13-MtRainierEast.jpg
  • Bowling Ball Beach, Schooner Gulch State Park, south of Point Arena, Mendocino County, California, USA. Pacific Ocean waves have weathered coastal bluffs (steeply tilted beds of Miocene Galloway Formation, Cenozoic Era mudstone) to expose spherical sandstone concretions resting on bowling lanes. Concretions form because minerals of like composition tend to precipitate around a common center. The panorama was stitched from 9 overlapping photos.
    1212CA-3106-3114pan_Bowling-Ball-Bea...jpg
  • Bowling Ball Beach, Schooner Gulch State Park, south of Point Arena, Mendocino County, California, USA. Pacific Ocean waves have weathered coastal bluffs (steeply tilted beds of Miocene Galloway Formation, Cenozoic Era mudstone) to expose spherical sandstone concretions resting on bowling lanes. Concretions form because minerals of like composition tend to precipitate around a common center.
    1212CA-3106-p1.jpg
  • Self portrait under a balanced rock near Lee's Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona, USA. Published in PC Photo, June 2003, page 55 battery advertisement.
    90AZ-19-37-Balanced_Rock_Tom.jpg
  • Grand Meteora Monastery (Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron) was built in the mid 1300s on a rock pinnacle in Greece, Europe. It was restored and embellished in 1483 and 1552, and is the largest monastery at Meteora. Meteora (which means "suspended in the air") is a complex of six Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries built by medieval monks on natural rock pillars near Kalambaka, in central Greece, Europe. The sandstone and conglomerate of Meteora were formed in the cone of a river delta estuary emerging into a sea about 60 million years ago, then later uplifted and eroded into pinnacles. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). UNESCO honored Meteora as a World Heritage Site in 1988. Visit early in the morning and in the off season to avoid crowds.
    01GRE-44-10_Grand-Meteora-Monastery.jpg
  • A side view reveals a long vertical crack in the Pulpit (Prekestolen), 1959 feet above Lysefjord, in Forsand municipality, Rogaland county, Ryfylke traditional district, Norway, Europe. The nearest city is Jørpeland, in Strand municipality. 1981 photo.
    81NOR-08-29_Pulpit_side_view_people.jpg
  • Billion-year-old seabed ripples are fossilized in a blue rock pattern on broken yellow and purple rocks above Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010. Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976).
    07GLA-0182.jpg
  • Billion-year-old sedimentary rock erodes into yellow and blue patterns in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010. Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976).
    07GLA-0164.jpg
  • Billion-year-old sedimentary rock erodes into yellow and purple patterns in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Rocks in the park are primarily sedimentary layers deposited in shallow seas over 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago. During the tectonic formation of the Rocky Mountains 170 million years ago, the Lewis Overthrust displaced these old rocks over newer Cretaceous age rocks. Since 1932, Canada and USA have shared Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site (1995) containing two Biosphere Reserves (1976).
    07GLA-0100.jpg
  • An Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, or coachwhip) desert plant flowers red, along a dirt road traveled by a camper beneath mountains of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, USA.
    94SW-02-31-Ocotillo+camper+mountains.jpg
  • Yellow lichen grows on fractured bedrock exposed along the Lake Superior shoreline, in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan, USA. (Native Ojibwa people named the local mountains for their porcupine silhouette.)
    03MI-G0047_lichen-rocks-Lake-Superio...jpg
  • Volcanic ash layers (tuff), at Taranaki / Mount Egmont National Park, New Zealand, North Island
    07NZ_7058_ash-layers_Mt-Egmont.jpg
  • Anapai Beach sea stacks, Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, New Zealand
    07NZ_5008_Anapai-Bay-seastacks_Abel-...jpg
  • Pohara Beach sunset, South Island, New Zealand
    07NZ_4198_Pohara-Beach-sunset.jpg
  • Karst formation on Takaka Hill, South Island, New Zealand
    07NZ_4185_Takaka-Hill-karst.jpg
  • South Pacific Ocean waves released the spherical Moeraki Boulders onto Koekohe Beach, between Moeraki and Hampden on the Otago coast, South Island, New Zealand. These ancient concretions grew 2 meters (6 feet) in diameter over 4 to 5.5 million years from marine mud (Moeraki Formation mudstone) near the surface of the Paleocene sea floor.  After the concretions formed, large cracks (septaria) formed and filled with brown calcite, yellow calcite, and small amounts of dolomite and quartz when a drop in sea level allowed fresh groundwater to flow through the enclosing mudstone.
    07NZ_2006_Moeraki-Boulders.jpg
  • South Pacific Ocean waves released the spherical Moeraki Boulders onto Koekohe Beach, between Moeraki and Hampden on the Otago coast, South Island, New Zealand. These ancient concretions grew 2 meters (6 feet) in diameter over 4 to 5.5 million years from marine mud (Moeraki Formation mudstone) near the surface of the Paleocene sea floor.  After the concretions formed, large cracks (septaria) formed and filled with brown calcite, yellow calcite, and small amounts of dolomite and quartz when a drop in sea level allowed fresh groundwater to flow through the enclosing mudstone.
    07NZ_1190_Moeraki-Boulders.jpg
  • Sulphur crystals condensed from a fumarole in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand, North Island.
    07NZ_7254-sulphur-crystals.jpg
  • Heart Lake, Adirondacks. Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting. The panorama was stitched from 8 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-079-86pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting.
    1410NY-065_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Heart Lake, Adirondacks. Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting. The panorama was stitched from 9 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-105-113pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Heart Lake, Adirondacks. Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting. The panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-100-102pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting. The panorama was stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    14NEC-028-33pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Heart Lake, Adirondacks. Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting.
    1410NY-087_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting.  The panorama was stitched from 9 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-044-52pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting.  The panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-066-68pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Heart Lake, Adirondacks. Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting.  The panorama was stitched from 11 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-089-99pan_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Heart Lake, Adirondacks. Hike Mount Jo in the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake Placid, North Elba, New York, USA. Beautiful Heart Lake and Adirondak Loj (an historic lodge) lie at the foot of Mount Jo (2876 ft or 877 m elev), which is on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (AMC). With a sweeping vista of the Great Range, Mt Jo offers one of the best views for the effort in the Adirondacks: ascend 710 feet or 216 m from the Loj in 2.6 miles roundtrip. From atop Mt. Jo, see the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness Area, a state Forest Preserve protected within Adirondack Park. Adirondack Park is the largest park in the contiguous USA and is the largest National Historic Landmark. Geologic history: The Adirondacks are very new mountains from old rocks, uplifting in a circular dome (160 miles wide and 1 mile high) over just the past 5 million years. Geologically, the Adirondacks are NOT in the Appalachians: instead, they are part of the Canadian Shield (or Laurentian or Precambrian Shield which underlies half of Canada). The Adirondacks are still rising fast, up to 3 mm per year, with a central core (High Peaks region) of intrusive igneous rock, Anorthosite (not common at Earth's surface but common on the Moon's surface), surrounded by a massive dome of 1-billion-year-old metamorphic gneiss rock, in turn surrounded by some younger sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the unrelated Appalachians have mostly younger sedimentary rocks, yet are among the world's oldest mountains and are no longer uplifting.
    1410NY-088_Adirondacks.jpg
  • Mary Colter's Hopi House, 1905. Grand Canyon National Park is a geologic wonder in Arizona, USA.
    1804SW-1700.jpg
  • In Letchworth State Park, renowned as the "Grand Canyon of the East," the Genesee River roars northeast through a gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs as high as 550 feet, surrounded by diverse forests which turn bright fall colors in the last three weeks of October. The large park stretches 17 miles between Portageville and Mount Morris in the state of New York, USA. Drive or hike to many scenic viewpoints along the west side of the gorge. The best walk is along Gorge Trail #1 above Portage Canyon from Lower Genesee Falls (70 ft high), to Inspiration Point, to Middle Genesee Falls (tallest, 107 ft), to Upper Genesee Falls (70 ft high). High above Upper Falls is the railroad trestle of Portageville Bridge, built in 1875, to be replaced 2015-2016. Geologic history: in the Devonian Period (360 to 420 million years ago), sediments from the ancestral Appalachian mountains eroded into an ancient inland sea and became the bedrock (mostly shales with some layers of limestone and sandstone plus marine fossils) now exposed in the gorge. Genesee River Gorge is very young, as it was cut after the last continental glacier diverted the river only 10,000 years ago. The native Seneca people were largely forced out after the American Revolutionary War, as they had been allies of the defeated British. Letchworth's huge campground has 270 generously-spaced electric sites.
    1410NY-935_Letchworth-gorge.jpg
  • Middle Genesee Falls rainbow, Portage Canyon, Letchworth State Park, Portageville, New York, USA. In Letchworth State Park, renowned as the "Grand Canyon of the East," the Genesee River roars northeast through a gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs as high as 550 feet, surrounded by diverse forests which turn bright fall colors in the last three weeks of October. The large park stretches 17 miles between Portageville and Mount Morris in the state of New York, USA. Drive or hike to many scenic viewpoints along the west side of the gorge. The best walk is along Gorge Trail #1 above Portage Canyon from Lower Genesee Falls (70 ft high), to Inspiration Point, to Middle Genesee Falls (tallest, 107 ft), to Upper Genesee Falls (70 ft high). High above Upper Falls is the railroad trestle of Portageville Bridge, built in 1875, to be replaced 2015-2016. Geologic history: in the Devonian Period (360 to 420 million years ago), sediments from the ancestral Appalachian mountains eroded into an ancient inland sea and became the bedrock (mostly shales with some layers of limestone and sandstone plus marine fossils) now exposed in the gorge. Genesee River Gorge is very young, as it was cut after the last continental glacier diverted the river only 10,000 years ago. The native Seneca people were largely forced out after the American Revolutionary War, as they had been allies of the defeated British. Letchworth's huge campground has 270 generously-spaced electric sites.
    1410NY-930_Letchworth-gorge.jpg
  • Middle Genesee Falls rainbow, Portage Canyon, Letchworth State Park, Portageville, New York, USA. In Letchworth State Park, renowned as the "Grand Canyon of the East," the Genesee River roars northeast through a gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs as high as 550 feet, surrounded by diverse forests which turn bright fall colors in the last three weeks of October. The large park stretches 17 miles between Portageville and Mount Morris in the state of New York, USA. Drive or hike to many scenic viewpoints along the west side of the gorge. The best walk is along Gorge Trail #1 above Portage Canyon from Lower Genesee Falls (70 ft high), to Inspiration Point, to Middle Genesee Falls (tallest, 107 ft), to Upper Genesee Falls (70 ft high). High above Upper Falls is the railroad trestle of Portageville Bridge, built in 1875, to be replaced 2015-2016. Geologic history: in the Devonian Period (360 to 420 million years ago), sediments from the ancestral Appalachian mountains eroded into an ancient inland sea and became the bedrock (mostly shales with some layers of limestone and sandstone plus marine fossils) now exposed in the gorge. Genesee River Gorge is very young, as it was cut after the last continental glacier diverted the river only 10,000 years ago. The native Seneca people were largely forced out after the American Revolutionary War, as they had been allies of the defeated British. Letchworth's huge campground has 270 generously-spaced electric sites. The panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1410NY-886-892pan_Letchworth-gorge.jpg
  • A unique landscape of beautifully striped bedrock descends from Pemaquid Light to the Atlantic Ocean. Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was built in 1835 and commemorated on Maine's state quarter (released 2003). Visit Lighthouse Park at the tip of Pemaquid Neck in New Harbor, near Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine, USA. From Damariscotta on bustling US Highway 1, drive 15 miles south on Maine Route 130 to the park. The keeper's house (built 1857) is now the Fishermen's Museum at Pemaquid. Geologic history: Silurian Period sediments laid down 430 million years ago were metamorphosed underground into a gneiss 360-415 million years ago, and intruded by molten rock which cooled slowly, creating the park's exposed metamorphic gray rocks with dikes of harder, white igneous rock. Underground heat and pressure tortured and folded the rock layers into the striking patterns that are now pounded and polished by the sea and rough weather. The panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1410ME-668-671pan_Pemaquid-Point.jpg
  • In Slovenia, the wonderful self-guided Part 2 of Skocjan Caves walking tour follows the mysterious Reka River from Mala Dolina (Small Doline, a sinkhole) through Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) upstream underground for 350 meters over exciting bridges and dimly lit passages. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Visit Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia, Europe. UNESCO has honored Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site.
    13SLO-2154_Skocjan-Caves-Slovenia.jpg
  • A log was left suspended high in Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) by the Reka River in Slovenia. The wonderful self-guided Part 2 of Skocjan Caves walking tour follows the mysterious Reka River from Mala Dolina (Small Doline, a sinkhole) through Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) upstream underground for 350 meters over exciting bridges and dimly lit passages. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Visit Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia, Europe. UNESCO has honored Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site.
    13SLO-2149_Skocjan-Caves-Slovenia.jpg
  • A log was left suspended high in Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) by the Reka River in Slovenia. The wonderful self-guided Part 2 of Skocjan Caves walking tour follows the mysterious Reka River from Mala Dolina (Small Doline, a sinkhole) through Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) upstream underground for 350 meters over exciting bridges and dimly lit passages. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Visit Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia, Europe. UNESCO has honored Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site.
    13SLO-2142_Skocjan-Caves-Slovenia.jpg
  • A log was left suspended high in Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) by the Reka River in Slovenia. The wonderful self-guided Part 2 of Skocjan Caves walking tour follows the mysterious Reka River from Mala Dolina (Small Doline, a sinkhole) through Mahorcic Cave (Mahorciceva jama) upstream underground for 350 meters over exciting bridges and dimly lit passages. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Visit Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia, Europe. UNESCO has honored Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site. This panorama was stitched from 2 overlapping photos.
    13SLO-2134-35pan_Skocjan-Caves-Slove...jpg
  • A natural bridge remains between two sinkholes, Big and Little Collapse Dolines (Velika dolina and Mala dolina), in Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Slovenia, Europe. Velika dolina reaches over 150 meters deep. Skocjan Caves feature a river raging through one of the world's largest caverns, waterfalls, speleothems (cave formations such as dripstone: stalactites and stalagmites), and twisty paths through eleven chambers over six kilometers. From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Archaeological finds in Tominceva Cave (Ozka spilja, near the natural entrance of Skocjan Caves) indicate human occupation here from 3000 BC to 1700 BC. Modern tourism began in Skocjan Caves by 1819. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Skocjan Caves are near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia. UNESCO has listed Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    13SLO-2111-17pan_Skocjan-Caves-Slove...jpg
  • Stalactites cling to the ceiling of Schmidt Hall (Schmidlova dvorana), the natural cave entrance which emerges into the collapsed Velika Dolina (Big Doline, a sinkhole), at Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Slovenia, Europe. Archaeological finds in the adjacent Tominceva Cave (Ozka spilja) indicate human occupation here from 3000 BC to 1700 BC. Modern tourism began in Skocjan Caves by 1819. Skocjan Caves feature a river raging through one of the world's largest caverns, waterfalls, speleothems (cave formations such as dripstone: stalactites and stalagmites), and twisty paths through eleven chambers over six kilometers. The underground walk over Cerkvenik Bridge 50 meters above the rushing Reka River takes your breath away in the huge Martel's Chamber (Martelova dvorana), the highest cave hall in Europe (60 meters wide and 140 meters deep, which looks bigger in the dim lighting). From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Skocjan Caves are near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia. UNESCO has listed Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site.
    13SLO-2062_Skocjan-Caves-Slovenia.jpg
  • Stalactites cling to the ceiling of Schmidt Hall (Schmidlova dvorana), the natural cave entrance which emerges into the collapsed Velika Dolina (Big Doline, a sinkhole), at Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Slovenia, Europe. Archaeological finds in the adjacent Tominceva Cave (Ozka spilja) indicate human occupation here from 3000 BC to 1700 BC. Modern tourism began in Skocjan Caves by 1819. Skocjan Caves feature a river raging through one of the world's largest caverns, waterfalls, speleothems (cave formations such as dripstone: stalactites and stalagmites), and twisty paths through eleven chambers over six kilometers. The underground walk over Cerkvenik Bridge 50 meters above the rushing Reka River takes your breath away in the huge Martel's Chamber (Martelova dvorana), the highest cave hall in Europe (60 meters wide and 140 meters deep, which looks bigger in the dim lighting). From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Skocjan Caves are near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia. UNESCO has listed Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    13SLO-2064-67pan_Skocjan-Caves-Slove...jpg
  • Flowstone formations, Skocjan Caves (Skocjanske jame) Regional Park, Slovenia, Europe. Skocjan Caves feature a river raging through one of the world's largest caverns, waterfalls, speleothems (cave formations such as dripstone: stalactites and stalagmites), and twisty paths through eleven chambers over six kilometers. The underground walk over Cerkvenik Bridge 50 meters above the rushing Reka River takes your breath away in the huge Martel's Chamber (Martelova dvorana), the highest cave hall in Europe (60 meters wide and 140 meters deep, which looks bigger in the dim lighting). From a large-scale karst drainage, the Reka River has carved and dissolved dramatic subterranean passages through limestone over several million years. Archaeological finds in Tominceva Cave (Ozka spilja) indicate human occupation here from 3000 BC to 1700 BC. Modern tourism began in Skocjan Caves by 1819. Karst topography is a geologic formation of dissolving bedrock. Our word for "karst" likely evolved from the Slovene noun kras and earlier proper noun Grast, referring to Slovenia's Karst Plateau. Skocjan Caves are near Divaca, in the Littoral region of the Republic of Slovenia. UNESCO has listed Skocjan Caves as a World Heritage Site.
    13SLO-2008_Skocjan-Caves-Slovenia.jpg
  • Sandstone pattern on the Cockscomb, a striking monocline (geologic fold) in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. The Cockscomb is the northern extension of the East Kaibab Monocline, a major feature of the Colorado Plateau stretching over 100 miles north from the Grand Canyon. Directions to the easiest Cockscomb ascent: On Highway 89, drive 10 miles west of Big Water. Between mileposts 17-18 on H89, turn north on Cottonwood Canyon Road (#400) and drive 12 miles to where a side road turns east over the Cockscomb (a quarter mile south of Hackberry Canyon parking lot). Park at the bottom of the steep road and walk 3 miles round trip to the crest, gaining 950 feet.
    1303UT-1478.jpg
  • Hike the Cockscomb, a striking monocline (geologic fold) in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. The Cockscomb is the northern extension of the East Kaibab Monocline, a major feature of the Colorado Plateau stretching over 100 miles north from the Grand Canyon. Directions to the easiest Cockscomb ascent: On Highway 89, drive 10 miles west of Big Water. Between mileposts 17-18 on H89, turn north on Cottonwood Canyon Road (#400) and drive 12 miles to where a side road turns east over the Cockscomb (a quarter mile south of Hackberry Canyon parking lot). Park at the bottom of the steep road and walk 3 miles round trip to the crest, gaining 950 feet. The panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1303UT-1466-1468pan_Cockscomb_Yellow...jpg
  • Hike the Cockscomb, a striking monocline (geologic fold) in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. The Cockscomb is the northern extension of the East Kaibab Monocline, a major feature of the Colorado Plateau stretching over 100 miles north from the Grand Canyon. Directions to the easiest Cockscomb ascent: On Highway 89, drive 10 miles west of Big Water. Between mileposts 17-18 on H89, turn north on Cottonwood Canyon Road (#400) and drive 12 miles to where a side road turns east over the Cockscomb (a quarter mile south of Hackberry Canyon parking lot). Park at the bottom of the steep road and walk 3 miles round trip to the crest, gaining 950 feet.
    1303UT-1475.jpg
  • Explore colorful fossilized sand dune buttes in the Paw Hole section of South Coyote Buttes, in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA. The Coyote Buttes area exposes cross-bedded aeolian Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. Various iron oxides bled through the sandstone layers to create a salmon color; hematite and goethite added yellows, oranges, browns, and purples. For the required hiking permit, contact the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM, in Kanab, Utah). Access to this Federal public land is regulated to protect fragile geologic formations. Coyote Buttes are within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (established in 2000 within Arizona), which is within Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area (established in 1984 spanning across the borders of Utah and Arizona).
    1303AZ-1289.jpg
  • Explore colorful fossilized sand dunes in the Paw Hole section of South Coyote Buttes, in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA. The Coyote Buttes area exposes cross-bedded aeolian Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. Various iron oxides bled through the sandstone layers to create a salmon color; hematite and goethite added yellows, oranges, browns, and purples. For the required hiking permit, contact the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM, in Kanab, Utah). Access to this Federal public land is regulated to protect fragile geologic formations. Coyote Buttes are within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (established in 2000 within Arizona), which is within Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area (established in 1984 spanning across the borders of Utah and Arizona).
    1303AZC-5058.jpg
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