Cracked Mud

DownloadDescription: Red cracked mud at the bottom of Ubehebe Crater in Death Valley, California. This picture makes an excellent cracked mud texture, and was used to texture the upper part of Africa on the cover of the NAP publication "Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution."

Moving Rock 2

DownloadDescription: On the clay flats of the racetrack, a dry lakebed in Death Valley, California, there are large rocks which mysteriously move around when it rains and the mud is wet, leaving trails in the cracked clay. This is one such rock, with its track visible behind it.

White Outcrop

DownloadDescription: A convoluted white limestone outcrop protruding from the wall of the ubehebe crater in Death Valley, California.

Gray Boulders

DownloadDescription: One edge of the rock outcrop rising from the dried clay of the racetrack, a dry lakebed in Death Valley California.

Red Rock Mesa

DownloadDescription: A red mesa in the Mojave Desert, California, with interesting white strata in the rock outcrops. This picture was submitted by Rickard Olsson, and is used with permission.

Grotto Canyon 4

DownloadDescription: A rock face high on the canyon wall in Grotto Canyon in Death Valley California.

Grotto Canyon 3

DownloadDescription: A narrow gap between two rock faces in Grotto Canyon in Death Valley California.

Egg Rock

DownloadDescription: An egg-shaped rock, part of the rock outcrop rising from the dried clay in the racetrack, a dry lakebed in Death Valley California.

Black Rock Island

DownloadDescription: View from above of the rock outcrop in the middle of the racetrack, a dry lake bed in Death Valley, California.

Two Rounded Rock Outcrops

DownloadDescription: Two large rounded gray rock outcrops, part of an island of rock sitting in the middle of the dried mud flats called the "Racetrack" in Death Valley. The rocks are spotted with lichen, and small scraggley bushes grow at their feet.

Rock Outcrop

DownloadDescription: A large lumpy gray outcropping of rock, sitting in the middle of the mud flats at the bottom of the dried lake bed known as the "Racetrack" in Death Valley. Small tufts of grass grow below the bulbous protrusions of lichen-spotted rock.

Red Rock Hillside

DownloadDescription: The wrinkly sides of this low hill of red rock in the Mojave Desert slope down to the rocky desert ground. At the feet of the hill, low green bushes are clustered. The corrugations in the stone form fascinating patterns, warped by weathering and the passage of centuries.

Steeply Angled Sandstone

DownloadDescription: A beautiful red and beige outcrop of sandstone, jutting at a steep angle from the desert ground. The deep ridges formed by the weathering of sandstone layers are sharply tilted. Presumably the sandstone was folded by the forces that extruded it above the earth. The rough edges of stone stripes form stark shadows in the late afternoon sun.

Red Sandstone Ridge

DownloadDescription: The sides of this rough sandstone ridge have a wrinkled appearance, as the layers of sandstone were warped over time by strong geological forces. The resulting surface is striped in burnt red and light tan, with deep corrugations caused by weathering. Seen in a warm afternoong sunlight, this colorful rock formation has rich detail and beautiful earth tones.

Red Rock Face

DownloadDescription: A red striped sandstone formation in the Mojave Desert. This is a medium-close view of the side of the cliff in afternoon sunlight. The red and tan layers of sandstone are tilted at a steep angle by geological forces, making a wrinkled surface clearly outlined by shadow.