Note the people for scale.
The gray layers here are soft, unconsolidated siltstone; the red are harder sandstone. They date from the late Miocene, about 10 million years ago. The capstone on top is basalt from a lava flow.
ftp://ftp.consrv.ca.gov/pub/dmg/pubs/sr/SR_230/Notes_LR/CGS_SR230_RedRockCanyon_SP_lr.pdf says: "The present topography began to form about 18 million years ago ... The Ricardo Group contains the red sandstone beds for which this region is famous. It consists of nearly 7,000 feet of coarse volcanic ash, lava flows, sandstones, lake-deposited silts and clays, and sandy gravels. Most of these deposits contain or consist entirely of volcanic ash, and some are inter-layered with lava flows."
The geologic map of the region (ngmdb.usgs.gov/ngm-bin/pdp/zui_viewer.pl?id=34704) describes this spot as follows: "Lacustrine beds, predominantly light gray nodular clay with interbedded gray-white calcareous sand, some layers of white tuffaceous siltstone, impure limestone, and opalized mud with local hard layers of opal chert."
The color was so poor in this photo, taken on cheap film in fading daylight, that I almost didn't bother posting it. It ended up making Explore.
Tags: Red Rock Canyon State Park Red Rock Canyon Ricardo Group ash sandstone cliff rock geology California CA Mohave Desert Mojave Desert Mohave Mojave scanned film
From my study window.
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Spotted on the road in Elmira on our trip to Upstate New York. No, I don't know whether it is real or not. Perhaps not, as it looks suspiciously symmetrical and upright.
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Very docile, once they settled down. Tended to drop to the ground if disturbed (perhaps a defense mechanism against bats?), but happy to perch on a finger. They expose the hindwings, which look like an owl, to startle potential predators. Picked this one up and placed on this leaf for a nice photo op. Wingspan 8 cm.
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I have various theories, but I'm not sure any of them hold water. The color seems far in excess of the usual paint splotches that are used as brands; ditto color to indicate sheep that have been through the dip. If it were in the US, I would think that the function is to warn off trigger-happy deer hunters (or, if you're of a more cynical bent, to help trigger-happy deer hunters find the target). But is this a problem in Britain?
Interestingness: #3 on 14 Jan 2008.
Aha! see links, excerpt & comments below. Apparently 3 reasons: (i) To make sheep more saleable as breeding stock; the dye ages to a nice 'biscuity' shade that complements the black and white colors and mimics the shade seen in sheep that have a lot of lanolin in their wool. (ii) To make it easier to locate the tup (ram) out on the hills when he's with the ewe flock. (iii) To discourage livestock theft.
Thanks to the many commenters who offered links or first-hand knowledge (as well as to those who offered many entertaining theories). Here's the BBC story on sheep rustling from 6 April 2011: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01002xp/Farming_Today_06_0....
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