#roadcut

[pickleweed2]

Fawn Lilies, Erythronium californicum, blooming on a roadcut!

[relatetorocks]

[thewalnutlog]

Strata. I’ve always been fascinated by the geology of road cuts. Seeing much more highway with all the travel I’ve been doing lately and it dawned on my the strata layers really do resemble wood grain. Exploring figure and texture with this one. Another experiment during my artist residency at @craftalliance. Square bowl carved with @rotarychisel and dry brushed. Poplar, 7.5 inches by 7.5 inches by 1.5 inches. #wood #woodturner #woodturning #lathe #latheart #art #artist #artwork #artistresidency #craftalliance #color #texture #strata #geology #roadcut #bowl #bowlmaker #bowlturner #bowlturning #grain #woodgrain #study #makersgonnamake #stl #stlouis https://www.instagram.com/p/B3AG7fUgVXS/?igshid=fr1p67ia6flm

[quasarlasar]

IN WHICH I VISIT THE BIG GUY HIMSELF—PART 3: (ROAD) CUT TO THE HEART

The infamous “Palmdale Roadcut,” shown in many popular articles and textbooks, is shown in the top two images. It is a cross-section of part of the San Andreas Fault zone that has some really contorted rock layers in it. You can see how the once horizontal layers have been tilted vertically and even folded to the point they overturn! Can you imagine the kinds of forces that had to act over millions of years to do that to solid rock??!

I have to admit, however, it looks way more colorful and defined in the infamous photographs than it does in person. In textbook pictures, the rock layers are portrayed as alternating in vivid brick-red, straw, and steel grey. In reality, the colors are kind of muted and faded. Oh well. 

Third image is a picture taken standing on a fault scarp and looking down. This scarp is now a winding hill, but when it first formed in the 1857 earthquake, it was actually steep and vertical. Now, more than 150 years later, it doesn’t stand out much from the rest of the hills and valleys around it.

The final two images are two sides of Leona Valley, which encompass the fault zone itself. Essentially the valley is part of the San Andreas Fault, and exists because the fault’s rocks are broken and fractured, and thus easily eroded. I couldn’t take a picture right in the middle because I’d need to be standing on the highway, but you can sort of piece the two images together.

Aside from the roadcut, these landscapes seem very tranquil. You’d never guess that you were walking straight through the heart of the San Andreas Fault.

Most of the people here are probably completely unaware of that.

[furiouskitten]

The infamous I-70 roadcut west of Denver near Morrison, CO. On both sides of the hogback there are spots to see dinosaur footprints. (Tbh my favorite part of this roadcut are the colours.) #geology #rockpic #roadcut

[dinogami]

Pegmatite dike in Precambrian gabbro, along the Beartooth Highway, Montana.

[portalithics]

Some good old geology along the Alsea river highway, Oregon 34. And I forgot my geology guide book. #geology #formation #folding #Oregon #oregongeology #alsea #layers #stratification #roadcut #roadsidegeology #earth #geo #rock #rocks #dirt #earth (at Alsea River)

[mallycat13]

September 2, 2020: Road cuts #roadcut #roadtrip #geology #geologyrocks #geologyfieldtrip #boysenstatepark #wyoming #explorewyoming #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #2020vision #hindsights2020 #leapyear #366photochallenge #366dayphotoproject #apictureaday #ramostfamous (at Boysen State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEpwXZEhATR/?igshid=1hqqkoqqtkix2