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  • Regimental "hoodoos" are eroded pinnacles of soft rock in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA. Published in Nature, the International Weekly Journal of Science, 17 January 2008 on the cover of the enclosed supplement "Year of Planet Earth," pages 257-304.
    94SW-09-29_Hoodoos_Bryce-Canyon.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
  • 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
  • Lichen grows into polygons on sandstone polished by water, ice, and erosion in Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA. The North Fork of the Virgin River carved spectacular Zion Canyon through reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone up to half a mile (800 m) deep and 15 miles (24 km) long. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago. Zion and Kolob canyon geology includes 9 formations covering 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation, from warm, shallow seas, streams, lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Mormons discovered the canyon in 1858 and settled in the early 1860s. U.S. President Taft declared it Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1918, the name changed to Zion (an ancient Hebrew name for Jerusalem), which became a National Park in 1919. The Kolob section (a 1937 National Monument) was added to Zion National Park in 1956. Unusually diverse plants and animals congregate here where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert meet.
    11UT2-4006_Zion-NP-Utah.jpg
  • Sandstone building erosion. Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom, Europe. Holy Island history dates from the 500s AD as an important center of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne, and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England, a priory was reestablished. A small castle was built on Holy Island in 1550.
    17UK2-5035.jpg
  • Lichen grows into polygons on sandstone polished by water, ice, and erosion in Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA. The North Fork of the Virgin River carved spectacular Zion Canyon through reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone up to half a mile (800 m) deep and 15 miles (24 km) long. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago. Zion and Kolob canyon geology includes 9 formations covering 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation, from warm, shallow seas, streams, lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Mormons discovered the canyon in 1858 and settled in the early 1860s. U.S. President Taft declared it Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1918, the name changed to Zion (an ancient Hebrew name for Jerusalem), which became a National Park in 1919. The Kolob section (a 1937 National Monument) was added to Zion National Park in 1956. Unusually diverse plants and animals congregate here where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert meet.
    11UT1-2126_Zion-NP-Utah.jpg
  • The orange sandstone Courthouse Towers resist erosion in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. These rock monuments are beautiful both at sunrise (seen here) and sunset. The Courthouse Towers are comprised of the Slick Rock member of Entrada Sandstone above the red-brown. or chocolate-brown marker beds of the Dewey .Bridge member.
    06UT_3004-Courthouse-Towers.jpg
  • The orange sandstone Courthouse Towers resist erosion in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. These rock monuments are beautiful both at sunrise (seen here) and sunset. At left are the Three Gossips. The Courthouse Towers are comprised of the Slick Rock member of Entrada Sandstone above the red-brown. or chocolate-brown marker beds of the Dewey .Bridge member. (Panorama stitched from 3 photos.)
    06UT_2287-2289pan_Courthouse-Towers.jpg
  • Erosion forms pockets and holes in sandstone walls of Little Wild Horse Canyon, San Rafael Reef, Utah, USA. A short drive from Goblin Valley State Park Campground is a great 9 mile loop hike up Little Wild Horse Canyon and back down Bell Canyon. The hike requires some scrambling up and down sandstone ledges, through occasional shallow water holes and fascinating narrow slots. The Navajo and Wingate sandstone of the San Rafael Reef was uplifted fifty million years ago into a striking bluff which now runs from Price to Hanksville, bisected by Interstate 70 at a breach fifteen miles west of the town of Green River. The San Rafael Reef (and Swell) is one of the wildest places left in Utah.
    06UT_2009_Little-Wild-Horse-Canyonn.jpg
  • Erosion forms pockets and holes in sandstone walls of Little Wild Horse Canyon, San Rafael Reef, Utah, USA. A short drive from Goblin Valley State Park Campground is a great 9 mile loop hike up Little Wild Horse Canyon and back down Bell Canyon. The hike requires some scrambling up and down sandstone ledges, through occasional shallow water holes and fascinating narrow slots. The Navajo and Wingate sandstone of the San Rafael Reef was uplifted fifty million years ago into a striking bluff which now runs from Price to Hanksville, bisected by Interstate 70 at a breach fifteen miles west of the town of Green River. The San Rafael Reef (and Swell) is one of the wildest places left in Utah.
    06UT_2008_Little-Wild-Horse-Canyon.jpg
  • Erosion forms pockets and holes in sandstone walls of Little Wild Horse Canyon, San Rafael Reef, Utah, USA. A short drive from Goblin Valley State Park Campground is a great 9 mile loop hike up Little Wild Horse Canyon and back down Bell Canyon. The hike requires some scrambling up and down sandstone ledges, through occasional shallow water holes and fascinating narrow slots. The Navajo and Wingate sandstone of the San Rafael Reef was uplifted fifty million years ago into a striking bluff which now runs from Price to Hanksville, bisected by Interstate 70 at a breach fifteen miles west of the town of Green River. The San Rafael Reef (and Swell) is one of the wildest places left in Utah.
    06UT_1166_Little-Wild-Horse-Canyon.jpg
  • River erosion felled a tree. Pasarela Rio Arrayanes, Lago Verde, Los Alerces National Park (honored on UNESCO's World Heritage List), in Chubut Province, Patagonian region, Argentina, South America. (Spanish: Parque Nacional Los Alerces.)
    2002PAT-0277.jpg
  • Erosion control in the Northern Japan Alps (Hida Mountains). <br />
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route carries visitors across the Northern Japan Alps via cablecars, trolley buses and a ropeway. Completed in 1971, this transportation corridor connects Toyama City in Toyama Prefecture with Omachi Town in Nagano Prefecture. The Tateyama Mountain Range lies within Chubu Sangaku National Park.
    1810JPN-2407.jpg
  • The orange sandstone Courthouse Towers resist erosion in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. These rock monuments are beautiful both at sunrise (seen here) and sunset. A Volkswagon Eurovan Camper parks at a pullout. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    06UT_3006-Courthouse-Towers.jpg
  • The orange sandstone Courthouse Towers resist erosion in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. These rock monuments are beautiful both at sunrise (seen here) and sunset. The Courthouse Towers are comprised of the Slick Rock member of Entrada Sandstone above the red-brown. or chocolate-brown marker beds of the Dewey .Bridge member.
    06UT_3005-Courthouse-Towers.jpg
  • Lichen grows into polygons on sandstone polished by water, ice, and erosion in Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA. The North Fork of the Virgin River carved spectacular Zion Canyon through reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone up to half a mile (800 m) deep and 15 miles (24 km) long. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago. Zion and Kolob canyon geology includes 9 formations covering 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation, from warm, shallow seas, streams, lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Mormons discovered the canyon in 1858 and settled in the early 1860s. U.S. President Taft declared it Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1918, the name changed to Zion (an ancient Hebrew name for Jerusalem), which became a National Park in 1919. The Kolob section (a 1937 National Monument) was added to Zion National Park in 1956. Unusually diverse plants and animals congregate here where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert meet.
    11UT1-2127_Zion-NP-Utah.jpg
  • The orange sandstone Courthouse Towers resist erosion in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. These rock monuments are beautiful both at sunrise (seen here) and sunset. The Courthouse Towers are comprised of the Slick Rock member of Entrada Sandstone above the red-brown. or chocolate-brown marker beds of the Dewey .Bridge member. A Volkswagon Eurovan Camper parks at a pullout.
    06UT_3008-Courthouse-Towers.jpg
  • The orange sandstone Courthouse Towers resist erosion in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. These rock monuments are beautiful both at sunrise (seen here) and sunset. The Courthouse Towers are comprised of the Slick Rock member of Entrada Sandstone above the red-brown. or chocolate-brown marker beds of the Dewey .Bridge member. At left are the Three Gossips.
    06UT_2281-Courthouse-Towers.jpg
  • Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1602.jpg
  • Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1563.jpg
  • Bluebird on a branch. Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1701.jpg
  • Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1697.jpg
  • Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites.
    1709US1-1693.jpg
  • Roxborough State Park features strikingly tilted red sandstone formations and yellow fall colors in Colorado, USA. We hike up the pleasant Carpenter Peak Trail and back via Elk Valley loop and Fountain Overlook, 8.5 miles with 1600 feet gain. A shorter walk is to the Peak then directly back (6.2 miles and 1400 ft). Roxborough State Park is in Douglas County 25 miles south of Denver, Colorado, USA. Honored as a National Natural Landmark, Roxborough State Park features the spectacularly tilted sandstone of the Fountain Formation, laid down over 300 million years ago with the gradual erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. After millions of years of uplift and erosion, these red sandstones stand dramatically at a sixty degree angle. Also exposed is geology from the Precambrian to Late Mesozoic, including hogbacks of Cretaceous, Permian, and Pennsylvanian age. Erosion of steeply dipping monoclinal sedimentary sections has resulted in the series of three major hogbacks and strike valleys, exposing scenic dipping plates, spires and monoliths. Precambrian gneiss and biotite-muscovite granite are exposed on Carpenter Peak. The park is also a State Historic Site and National Cultural District, due to archaeological sites. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-1677-78-Pano.jpg
  • Bixby Creek Bridge (1932), Big Sur coast, California, USA. 120 miles south of San Francisco and 13 miles south of Carmel in Monterey County along State Route 1. Completed in 1932 for just over $200,000, the concrete span, one of the highest bridges of its kind in the world, soars 260 feet above the bottom of a steep canyon carved by Bixby Creek. Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool beside railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Iceplant is bad for a number of reasons. It’s invasive and releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses.  It doesn't serve as a food source for animals and can out-compete the native plants for water, light, and space. It's actually bad for erosion control. Having weak root systems, these heavy plants can cause the hill to start sliding, taking existing topsoil from the slope. Although the soft succulent new growth has a high water content which doesn't burn, the slow-to-decompose dead leaves layered underneath create a fire hazard.
    2203CA-0799.jpg
  • Invasive iceplant at Leffingwell Landing Park, part of Hearst San Simeon State Park, Cambria, California, USA.  Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool beside railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Iceplant is bad for a number of reasons. It’s invasive and releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses.  It doesn't serve as a food source for animals and can out-compete the native plants for water, light, and space. It's actually bad for erosion control. Having weak root systems, these heavy plants can cause the hill to start sliding, taking existing topsoil from the slope. Although the soft succulent new growth has a high water content which doesn't burn, the slow-to-decompose dead leaves layered underneath create a fire hazard.
    2203CA-0496.jpg
  • Invasive iceplant at Leffingwell Landing Park, part of Hearst San Simeon State Park, Cambria, California, USA. Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool beside railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Iceplant is bad for a number of reasons. It’s invasive and releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses.  It doesn't serve as a food source for animals and can out-compete the native plants for water, light, and space. It's actually bad for erosion control. Having weak root systems, these heavy plants can cause the hill to start sliding, taking existing topsoil from the slope. Although the soft succulent new growth has a high water content which doesn't burn, the slow-to-decompose dead leaves layered underneath create a fire hazard.
    2203CA-0453.jpg
  • Invasive iceplant at Leffingwell Landing Park, part of Hearst San Simeon State Park, Cambria, California, USA. Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool beside railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Iceplant is bad for a number of reasons. It’s invasive and releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses.  It doesn't serve as a food source for animals and can out-compete the native plants for water, light, and space. It's actually bad for erosion control. Having weak root systems, these heavy plants can cause the hill to start sliding, taking existing topsoil from the slope. Although the soft succulent new growth has a high water content which doesn't burn, the slow-to-decompose dead leaves layered underneath create a fire hazard.
    2203CA-0451.jpg
  • Invasive iceplant at Leffingwell Landing Park, part of Hearst San Simeon State Park, Cambria, California, USA.  Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool beside railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Iceplant is bad for a number of reasons. It’s invasive and releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses.  It doesn't serve as a food source for animals and can out-compete the native plants for water, light, and space. It's actually bad for erosion control. Having weak root systems, these heavy plants can cause the hill to start sliding, taking existing topsoil from the slope. Although the soft succulent new growth has a high water content which doesn't burn, the slow-to-decompose dead leaves layered underneath create a fire hazard.
    2203CA-0455.jpg
  • Yellow flower of invasive iceplant at Leffingwell Landing Park, part of Hearst San Simeon State Park, Cambria, California, USA. Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool beside railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Iceplant is bad for a number of reasons. It’s invasive and releases salt into the soil, raising the salt level high enough to inhibit other plant seeds, especially grasses.  It doesn't serve as a food source for animals and can out-compete the native plants for water, light, and space. It's actually bad for erosion control. Having weak root systems, these heavy plants can cause the hill to start sliding, taking existing topsoil from the slope. Although the soft succulent new growth has a high water content which doesn't burn, the slow-to-decompose dead leaves layered underneath create a fire hazard.
    2203CA-0454.jpg
  • Hike through Grand Wash, in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA. Capitol Reef National Park is centered upon the 100-mile-long Waterpocket Fold, the steep eastern limb of the Circle Cliffs Uplift, formed in Late Cretaceous time, during the Laramide Orogeny. Pressure caused by the subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the North American Plate along the west coast caused several huge folds like this in southeast Utah, USA. Steeply tilted Triassic and Jurassic rocks form the hogbacks of the Waterpocket Fold and Capitol Reef, which is built of dark-red dune-formed Wingate Sandstone, thinly bedded river deposits of the Kayenta Formation, crested by the massive, white, dune-formed Navajo Sandstone. Honeycomb weathering: rainwater soaks into sandstone, dissolves its cement, and redeposits it near the surface as the water evaporates, forming a resistant outer layer, pockmarked with holes into the soft inner layers enlarged by wind and moisture.
    1503SW-0497_sandstone-pattern.jpg
  • Hike through Grand Wash, in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA. Capitol Reef National Park is centered upon the 100-mile-long Waterpocket Fold, the steep eastern limb of the Circle Cliffs Uplift, formed in Late Cretaceous time, during the Laramide Orogeny. Pressure caused by the subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the North American Plate along the west coast caused several huge folds like this in southeast Utah, USA. Steeply tilted Triassic and Jurassic rocks form the hogbacks of the Waterpocket Fold and Capitol Reef, which is built of dark-red dune-formed Wingate Sandstone, thinly bedded river deposits of the Kayenta Formation, crested by the massive, white, dune-formed Navajo Sandstone. Honeycomb weathering: rainwater soaks into sandstone, dissolves its cement, and redeposits it near the surface as the water evaporates, forming a resistant outer layer, pockmarked with holes into the soft inner layers enlarged by wind and moisture.
    1503SW-0493_sandstone-pattern.jpg
  • Galatea Creek erodes its banks. Hike to Lillian Lake (7.5 miles round trip with 1614 gain) or on to Galatea Lakes (10 miles RT with 2214 ft gain) in Spray Valley Provincial Park, from H40 south of Kananaskis Village, in Kananaskis Country, Canadian Rockies, Alberta. Kananaskis Country is a park system west of Calgary.
    1509CAN-3169_Galatea-Creek.jpg
  • Bands of pink and white layers demark the 1.19-billion-year-old Bass limestone of the Grand Canyon Supergroup, on the fascinating Trail of Time interpretive exhibit on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting west of Yavapai Geology Museum, walk for 1.3 miles on the paved trail backward in time from today toward the oldest rock in Grand Canyon, Elves Chasm gneiss, 1.840 billion years old. Or begin east of Verkamp's Visitor Center, walking forward in time toward the youngest rock in the Grand Canyon, Kaibab Limestone, 270 million years old. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon 6000 feet deep, 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1675.jpg
  • The 1893 wood stake ladder for the first ascent of Devils Tower (by Willard Ripley) was restored 1972. The last known use of the ladder was in 1927 by daredevil Babe "The Fly" White. In 1972, the Park Service removed what was left of the bottom section, and restored the top 140 feet of the ladder, shown here. Devils Tower is a butte of intrusive igneous rock exposed by erosion in the Bear Lodge Mountains, part of the Black Hills, in Devils Tower National Monument, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, Wyoming, USA. 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.
    1709US1-3339_Devils-Tower-WY.jpg
  • In early spring, leafless trees and desert varnish frame a royal arch in canyon walls along Lower Calf Creek Falls trail in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face that is protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs, but wind doesn't sculpt its shape. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. Hike Lower Calf Creek Falls trail 6 miles round trip (600 feet gain). Directions: From the town of Escalante, drive 15 miles east on Scenic Byway 12 to Calf Creek Recreation Area day-use parking and campground.
    1303UT-2275-p1.jpg
  • Hike Lower Calf Creek Falls trail 6 miles round trip (600 feet gain), in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, USA. The beautiful cascade drops 126 feet (38 meters) from sandstone cliffs stained with fascinating patterns of desert varnish. Directions: From the town of Escalante, drive 15 miles east on Scenic Byway 12 to Calf Creek Recreation Area day-use parking and campground. More about desert varnish: Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face that is protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs, but wind doesn't sculpt its shape. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. The panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1303UT-2215-2217pan_Calf-Creek-Falls.jpg
  • Hike beneath The Horns (Los Cuernos) in the French Valley (Valle Frances) in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. "The Horns" (about 6900 feet or 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. 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.
    05CHI-20141_Upper-French-Valley.jpg
  • Fossil shells, Putangirua Pinnacles, New Zealand, North Island. When ocean levels were much higher 7 to 9 million years ago, the Aorangi Ranges were an island which deposited large alluvial fans at the seashore. Conglomerate rock formed in layers. Erosion over the past several thousand years created a badlands of earth pillars (or hoodoos) at the head of this valley in the Aorangi Ranges.
    07NZ_6063_fossil-shells_Putangirua.jpg
  • Sunset spotlights the Queen's Garden, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. The hoodoo on the left looks like a standing profile of Queen Elizabeth with gown. Bryce is actually not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The ancient river and lake bed sedimentary rocks erode into hoodoos by the force of wind, water, and ice.
    06UT_6096-Bryce-NP-Sunset.jpg
  • Lower Antelope Canyon (or "the Corkscrew") is a beautiful slot canyon in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. Flash floods and other erosion have carved Navajo Sandstone into this natural rock cathedral.
    11AZ1-2280_Lower-Antelope-Canyon.jpg
  • Lower Antelope Canyon (or "the Corkscrew") is a beautiful slot canyon in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. Flash floods and other erosion have carved Navajo Sandstone into this natural rock cathedral.
    11AZ1-2236-37pan_Lower-Antelope-Cany...jpg
  • Lower Antelope Canyon (or "the Corkscrew") is a beautiful slot canyon in Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park, near Page, Arizona, USA. Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. Flash floods and other erosion have carved Navajo Sandstone into this natural rock cathedral.
    11AZ1-2151_Lower-Antelope-Canyon.jpg
  • A hiker explores Falls Canyon in Turkey Run State Park, in historic Parke County, Indiana, USA. Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve is a National Park Service Registered Natural Landmark. The Mansfield sandstone bedrock was formed during the Carboniferous Period when sand layers at the mouth of ancient Michigan River was compacted and cemented into solid rock. Ancient swamps became coal seams which were mined in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Glacial meltwater erosion in the Pleistocene Epoch carved today's canyons and potholes.
    10IND-281.jpg
  • Erosion exposes conglomerate rock in a slot along the Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Loop Trail, in Mecca Hills Wilderness, managed by BLM's Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, near Mecca, California, USA. The Mecca Hills are deeply-eroded sedimentary badlands north of the Salton Sea, bounded on the west by the San Andreas Fault. Several parallel faults split the region. The original sediments were primarily lake and Colorado River deposits, later covered with alluvium as the uplifting hills eroded.
    2103SW-A0813.jpg
  • A pond at Photographer's Point, Bridger-Teton NF, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys.
    20190909_140612.jpg
  • Near Jackass Pass, War Bonnet Peak catches sunrise light, in Cirque of the Towers, Bridger Wilderness, Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. We backpacked to Big Sandy Lake Campground (11 miles round trip with 1000 feet gain). Two hours before sunrise, I departed from Big Sandy Lake to reach Jackass Pass viewpoint for Cirque of the Towers and Lonesome Lake (6.5 miles round trip, 1860 ft gain) on the Continental Divide Trail. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-1207-1233-Pano.jpg
  • In Cirque of the Towers, Pingora Peak rises above Lonesome Lake at sunrise, seen from Jackass Pass, in Bridger Wilderness, Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. We backpacked to Big Sandy Lake Campground (11 miles round trip with 1000 feet gain). Two hours before sunrise, I departed from Big Sandy Lake to reach Jackass Pass viewpoint for Cirque of the Towers and Lonesome Lake (6.5 miles round trip, 1860 ft gain) on the Continental Divide Trail. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1909US1-1301-Pano.jpg
  • Sunrise on Pingora Peak seen from Jackass Pass, Cirque of the Towers, Bridger Wilderness, Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. We backpacked to Big Sandy Lake Campground (11 miles round trip with 1000 feet gain). Two hours before sunrise, I departed from Big Sandy Lake to reach Jackass Pass viewpoint for Cirque of the Towers and Lonesome Lake (6.5 miles round trip, 1860 ft gain) on the Continental Divide Trail. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys.
    1909US1-1071.jpg
  • Sunrise on Pingora Peak seen from Jackass Pass, Cirque of the Towers, Bridger Wilderness, Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. We backpacked to Big Sandy Lake Campground (11 miles round trip with 1000 feet gain). Two hours before sunrise, I departed from Big Sandy Lake to reach Jackass Pass viewpoint for Cirque of the Towers and Lonesome Lake (6.5 miles round trip, 1860 ft gain) on the Continental Divide Trail. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys.
    1909US1-1095.jpg
  • Sunrise hits our tent at Big Sandy Lake Campground in Bridger Wilderness, Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA.  Backpack to Big Sandy Lake Campground (11 miles round trip with 1000 feet gain). Day hike from Big Sandy Lake to Clear Lake and Deep Lake below East Temple Peak then loop back via Temple Lake, Miller Lake, and Rapid Lake (7.5 miles, 1060 ft gain) on the Continental Divide Trail. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. Glaci
    1909US1-0876.jpg
  • Wind River Range seen from Photographer's Point, Bridger-Teton NF, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys.
    1909US1-0401.jpg
  • Clear Creek Valley, seen along the hike from Green River Lakes to Slide Lake (13 miles round trip with 2100 feet gain) in the Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. Glaciers scoured the terminal moraine which naturally dams the Green River Lakes, the headwaters of the Green River (chief tributary to the Colorado River).
    1909US1-0263.jpg
  • Clear Creek Valley, seen along the hike from Green River Lakes to Slide Lake (13 miles round trip with 2100 feet gain) in the Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. Glaciers scoured the terminal moraine which naturally dams the Green River Lakes, the headwaters of the Green River (chief tributary to the Colorado River).
    1909US1-0262.jpg
  • The granite monolith of Squaretop Mountain (11,695 feet) rises above Lower Green River Lake, in the Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. We hiked from Green River Lakes trailhead to Slide Lake (13 miles round trip with 2100 feet gain). The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. Glaciers scoured the terminal moraine which naturally dams the Green River Lakes, the headwaters of the Green River (chief tributary to the Colorado River).
    1909US1-0240.jpg
  • Lichen polygons. Green River Lakes, Wind River Range, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the "Winds". Mostly composed of granite batholiths formed deep within the earth over 1 billion years ago, the Wind River Range is one of the oldest mountain ranges in North America. These granite monoliths were uplifted, exposed by erosion, then carved by glaciers 500,000 years ago to form cirques and U-shaped valleys. Glaciers scoured the terminal moraine which naturally dams the Green River Lakes, the headwaters of the Green River (chief tributary to the Colorado River).
    1909US1-0116.jpg
  • See the icy summit of Denali from scenic Curry Ridge Trail (6 miles round trip with 1000 feet gain) from K'esugi Ken Campground, in Denali State Park, Alaska, USA. At 20,310 feet elevation or 6191 m, the peak of Denali (previously known as Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain in North America. When measured from its base, it is earth's tallest (most prominent) mountain on land. Denali is a granitic pluton uplifted by tectonic pressure while erosion has simultaneously stripped away the softer surrounding sedimentary rock. Denali State Park is in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough adjacent to the east side of Denali National Park and Preserve along the Parks Highway.
    1906AKH-2395.jpg
  • Denali National Park, Alaska, USA. At 20,310 feet elevation or 6191 m, the peak of Denali (previously known as Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain in North America. When measured from its base, it is earth's tallest (most prominent) mountain on land. Denali is a granitic pluton uplifted by tectonic pressure while erosion has simultaneously stripped away the softer surrounding sedimentary rock.
    1906AKH-2122.jpg
  • At 20,310 feet elevation or 6191 m, the peak of Denali (previously known as Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain in North America. Denali National Park, Alaska, USA. When measured from its base, it is earth's tallest (most prominent) mountain on land. Denali is a granitic pluton uplifted by tectonic pressure while erosion has simultaneously stripped away the softer surrounding sedimentary rock.
    1906AKH-2110.jpg
  • Dusk seen through gnarly pine trees at Mather Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-2072.jpg
  • Sunset at Mather Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-2010.jpg
  • Visitors gather to see sunset at Mather Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-2004.jpg
  • Red ridges rise in blue haze at sunset seen from Mather Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-2002.jpg
  • Sunset at Mather Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1804SW-1938-p1-Pano.jpg
  • Sunset at Mather Point Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1936.jpg
  • Backpackers on the Hermit Trail in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1930.jpg
  • Cobblestone trail. Hike the Hermit Trail from Hermits Rest to Lookout Point. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1925.jpg
  • Redbud tree, pink flowers (Cercis genus). Hike the Hermit Trail from Hermits Rest to Lookout Point. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1913.jpg
  • Hike the Hermit Trail from Hermits Rest to Lookout Point. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide. Please inquire about licensing options for this image.
    1804SW-1839.jpg
  • Hike the Hermit Trail from Hermits Rest to Lookout Point. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1805.jpg
  • Grand Canyon Supergroup stromatolite pattern, on the fascinating Trail of Time interpretive exhibit on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting west of Yavapai Geology Museum, walk for 1.3 miles on the paved trail backward in time from today toward the oldest rock in Grand Canyon, Elves Chasm gneiss, 1.840 billion years old. Or begin east of Verkamp's Visitor Center, walking forward in time toward the youngest rock in the Grand Canyon, Kaibab Limestone, 270 million years old. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon 6000 feet deep, 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1671.jpg
  • Bands of pink and white layers demark the 1.19-billion-year-old Bass limestone of the Grand Canyon Supergroup, on the fascinating Trail of Time interpretive exhibit on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting west of Yavapai Geology Museum, walk for 1.3 miles on the paved trail backward in time from today toward the oldest rock in Grand Canyon, Elves Chasm gneiss, 1.840 billion years old. Or begin east of Verkamp's Visitor Center, walking forward in time toward the youngest rock in the Grand Canyon, Kaibab Limestone, 270 million years old. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon 6000 feet deep, 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1677.jpg
  • Yavapai Point, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1804SW-1648-53-Pano.jpg
  • Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River, seen with a telephoto lens from Yavapai Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1656.jpg
  • A pine tree on Yavapai Point, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA. Starting at least 5 to 17 million years ago, erosion by the Colorado River has exposed a column of distinctive rock layers, which date back nearly two billion years at the base of Grand Canyon. While the Colorado Plateau was uplifted by tectonic forces, the Colorado River and tributaries carved Grand Canyon over a mile deep (6000 feet), 277 miles  long and up to 18 miles wide.
    1804SW-1644.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
  • Climbers ascend 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.
    1709US1-3314_Devils-Tower-WY.jpg
  • In mid October, bright yellow cottonwood tree leaves frame Devils Tower in Belle Fourche River Campground, in Devils Tower National Monument, 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.
    1709US1-3527_Devils-Tower-WY.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.
    1709US1-3311_Devils-Tower-WY.jpg
  • In mid October, bright yellow cottonwood tree leaves frame Devils Tower in Belle Fourche River Campground, in Devils Tower National Monument, 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.
    1709US1-3471_Devils-Tower-WY.jpg
  • In mid October, bright yellow cottonwood tree leaves frame Devils Tower in Belle Fourche River Campground, in Devils Tower National Monument, 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.
    1709US1-3505_Devils-Tower-WY.jpg
  • Pinnacles Overlook. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA.
    1709US1-2868_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Yellow Mounds Overlook. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA.
    1709US1-2768_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Panorama Point at sunrise. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US2-535-37-Pano_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Yellow Mounds Overlook. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA.
    1709US1-2753_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Panorama Point at sunrise. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US1-2723_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Panorama Point at sunrise. Erosion has exposed layers of ancient colorful sediments. Badlands National Park has the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. South Dakota, USA. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1709US2-496-98-Pano_Badlands-NP-SD.jpg
  • Ruinaulta (or Rheinschlucht, the Rhine Gorge of Switzerland, or Swiss Grand Canyon) was created by the Anterior Rhine between Ilanz/Glion and Reichenau, in the debris of the Flims Rockslide, in eastern Switzerland, the Alps, Europe. Panorama cars of the Glacier Express train, operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB) and Rhaetian Railway (RhB), provide views through the Rhine Gorge. Its local name Ruinaulta means "high heap of rubble", referring to the bizarre whitish rock formations, debris from a prehistoric rockslide that 10,000 years ago blocked the Rhine (near Flims) after the retreat of the Ice Age valley glacier. Since then, river erosion has cut an impressive gorge. Protected by cliffs several hundred meters high, the forested area is a haven for wildlife. This stretch of the river, now popular for rafting, was largely inaccessible until the Chur-Ilanz section of Rhaetian Railway, or Rhätische Bahn (RhB), opened in 1903. In 2008, the "Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes" (the part from Thusis to Tirano, including St Moritz) was honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rheinschlucht is just upstream of the Anterior Rhine's confluence with the Posterior Rhine at Reichenau in the Grisons/Graubünden/Grigioni/Grischun canton of Switzerland.
    16SWI-8968.jpg
  • The volcanic pinnacle of Black Tusk (2319 m or 7608 ft) rises above Mimulus Lake, Black Tusk Lake, and Helm Lake (left to right), seen from Panorama Ridge Trail. The Black Tusk is a remnant of an extinct andesitic stratovolcano which formed 1.3-1.1 million years ago: after long glacial erosion, renewed volcanism 170,000 years ago made the lava flow and dome forming the tooth-shaped summit. The top of Panorama Ridge is 17 miles round trip with 5100 feet gain from Rubble Creek parking lot (or 6 miles/10k RT with 2066 ft/630m gain from either Taylor Meadows or Garibaldi Lake Backcountry Campground). A hiking loop to Garibaldi Lake via Taylor Meadows Campground is 11 miles (18k) round trip, with 3010 ft (850m) gain. Garibaldi Provincial Park is east of the Sea to Sky Highway (Route 99) between Squamish and Whistler in the Coast Range, British Columbia, Canada. This panorama was stitched from 12 overlapping images.
    1509CAN-1274-75pan_Black-Tusk_BC.jpg
  • See the volcanic pinnacle of Black Tusk (2319 m or 7608 ft) rising above Taylor Meadows. The Black Tusk is a remnant of an extinct andesitic stratovolcano which formed 1.3-1.1 million years ago: after long glacial erosion, renewed volcanism 170,000 years ago made the lava flow and dome forming the tooth-shaped summit.  Garibaldi Provincial Park, in the Coast Range, British Columbia, Canada. Garibaldi Park is east of the Sea to Sky Highway (Route 99) between Squamish and Whistler.
    1509CAN-1204_Black-Tusk_BC.jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest.
    1503SW-0962_Sipapu-Natural-Bridge.jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest.
    1503SW-0951_Sipapu-Natural-Bridge.jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest.
    1503SW-0949_Sipapu-Natural-Bridge.jpg
  • Desert varnish streaks Sipapu Bridge, in Natural Bridges National Monument, near Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, USA. White Canyon Creek has cut Sipapu Natural Bridge with a span of 225 feet (with a height of 144 feet, width of 41 feet, and thickness of 53 feet, says www.naturalarches.org) through a meander of white Permian sandstone of the Cedar Mesa Formation. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest.
    1503SW-0938_Sipapu-Natural-Bridge.jpg
  • Explore the elegant subway and slot of Leprechaun Canyon in North Wash, between Hanksville & Hite, Utah, USA. Desert varnish coats the Triassic-Jurassic sandstone. Directions: from Hanksville, drive 26 miles south on Highway 95 to the junction with Utah 276 and stay left on H95 for another 2.0 miles across a wash, then park on the left (east) along a short road within the first 100 feet before its sandtrap end. Walk up the wash of Leprechaun Canyon 2 miles round trip to a subway which narrows to a tight squeeze called Belfast Boulevard. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face that is protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs protected from wind. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. Nearby, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is just 8 miles south on H95.
    1503SW-0837-p2_Leprechaun-Canyon.jpg
  • Patterns of desert varnish coat canyon walls near Lower Emerald Pool waterfall in Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah, USA. Manganese-rich desert varnish requires thousands of years to coat a rock face that is protected from precipitation and wind erosion. The varnish likely originates from airborne dust and external surface runoff, including: clay minerals, oxides and hydroxides of manganese (Mn) and/or iron (Fe), sand grains, trace elements, and usually organic matter. Streaks of black varnish often occur where water cascades over cliffs, but wind doesn't sculpt its shape. Varnish color varies from shades of brown to black. Manganese-poor, iron-rich varnishes are red to orange, and intermediate concentrations are shaded brown. Manganese-oxidizing microbes may explain the unusually high concentration of manganese in black desert varnish, which can be smooth and shiny where densest. More about Zion: The North Fork of the Virgin River carved spectacular Zion Canyon through reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone up to half a mile (800 m) deep and 15 miles (24 km) long. Uplift associated with the creation of the Colorado Plateaus lifted the region 10,000 feet (3000 m) starting 13 million years ago. Zion and Kolob canyon geology includes 9 formations covering 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation, from warm, shallow seas, streams, lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments. Mormons discovered the canyon in 1858 and settled in the early 1860s. U.S. President Taft declared it Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1918, the name changed to Zion (an ancient Hebrew name for Jerusalem), which became a National Park in 1919. The Kolob section (a 1937 National Monument) was added to Zion National Park in 1956. Unusually diverse plants and animals congregate here where the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert meet.
    1303UTC-5012.jpg
  • Hike across a swing bridge beneath The Horns (Los Cuernos) in the the French Valley (Valle Frances) in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. "The Horns" (about 6900 feet or 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. 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. For licensing options, please inquire.
    05CHI-30056_Torres-del-Paine-NP.jpg
  • Hike beneath The Horns (Los Cuernos) in the French Valley (Valle Frances) in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. "The Horns" (about 6900 feet or 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. 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. Panorama stitched from 3 overlapping images.
    05CHI-20120-22pan_Los-Cuernos.jpg
  • Hike beneath The Horns (Los Cuernos) in the French Valley (Valle Frances) in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. "The Horns" (about 6900 feet or 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. 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. Panorama stitched from 4 overlapping images.
    05CHI-20083-87pan_Los-Cuernos.jpg
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