The Yellow Mounds by auntietk
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Description
Sometimes I think the people who name things need to consult a writer.
The official designation for this South Dakota badlands formation is "The Yellow Mounds."
75 million years ago the center of the North American continent was covered by a relatively shallow sea. About 65 million years ago the sea drained, the black sea floor mud was exposed to weathering, and that mud developed into this amazing yellow soil. After 30 million years of erosion, the lighter colored and more sharply eroded feature you see in the background was laid down over a period of about ten million years. From the top of the background formation to the bottom of the yellow mounds in the foreground, you're looking at 40 to 50 million years of a history filled with forests, droughts, volcanic activity, species adaptation, and extinction, all brought to you through the magic of inexorable erosion.
Comments (18)
beachzz
Beautiful capture of this iconic area. Haven't quite made it that far east, but we're workin on it!!
wysiwig
Some really fine composition and detail in this image.
Faemike55
Beautiful capture! Thanks for sharing your trip and memories with us
T.Rex
Interesting history lesson. And don't forget the sudden massive glacial melt and flood at the beginning of the younger Dryas period, apparently caused by a meteor/comet strike in the middle of the North American ice cap some 14,000 years ago, and you have the Washington scablands and a LOT of vertical cuts through geologic history. WOW! Keep up the good work! :-)
helanker
WOW ! How beautiful it is and thanks alot for the info. That makes it even more amazing. Super shot, even not scary. Ask Bill. ;o)
Krittermom
This looks as though it is not on planet earth. Very stark and beautiful.
I do agree that they should have consulted a writer though!
durleybeachbum
I see huge fingers with rather sharp nails. I had a momentary urge to paint the ends with blood coloured nail varnish, but luckily it passed.
Freethinker56
It does look magical
blankfrancine
Beautiful formation and sharp capture.
bmac62
Love the composition...particularly the yellow mounds with the background of the "newer" formations...if millions of years between the two can still cause the higher formations to be called "newer":-) Oooo, the light is superb.
Juliette.Gribnau
wonderful !!!!!!!!! fav
kaward
STUNNING! The strong shadows and tons of impact to this image! It looks such a bleak environment too!
RodS
Shhhhh...... Don't tell anyone...... But I snuck in there one night and Photoshopped those mounds of dirt with a yellow overlay layer..... Heheheheh
Seriously, a wonderful photo of this amazing and unique place, Tara!
dochtersions
This image is so flawless, and should be placed in a book on nature photography. The textures on the front mountain is so tremendously exciting, and I adore the whole. TOP, Tara!
X-PaX
Beautiful capture Tara.
kenmo
Fantastic scene....
anahata.c
Yeah, the title for this stretch of land is a bit pedestrian. But I imagine Native Americans have a much more personalized name for it. The hues here are marvelous---deep rich reddish oranges, with tints of green (sounds like a menu at a new age restaurant), wonderful detail on the lines and grain in the rock, and great deep shadows. The rest of the landscape---to the left---is wonderfully detailed too, with those wonderful sedimentary lines in the background, of completely different hue. A rich, opulent, almost chocolaty landscape, with very sensual lines and textures. Well proportioned too, as are all your other shots. Your proportions get subtler and finer with each year.
KarmaSong
A fabulous and inspiring capture .