On some of the large boulders along the rim there was abundant growth of colorful Lichens.

Any Geologists out there to help me identify the Rock and the pink part?

Tags:   Rock Boulder Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Sony A7R Lichen Granite Dark

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The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a National park in west central Colorado. The Gunnison river over 2 million years has cut a canyon that is over 2200 feet deep. This view is of the extreme eastern part of the River as it flows into the Curecanti National Recreational Area and reservoir with Gunnison Colorado in the remote central background.

My shots all come from the south rim of the canyon, the more accessible, much like the Grand Canyon. The northern or western rim has some great views that really highlight the narrowness of the canyon. We were in a hurry passing through from Grand Junction and had to pick my wife up later in the day in Keystone. While my son and I had a great week long trip to Moab she was at a painting workshop in the Rockies with a friend. After picking here up we headed to the Black Hills.

The Gunnison River drops an average of 34 feet per mile (6.4 m/km) through the entire canyon, making it the 5th steepest mountain descent in North America. By comparison, the Colorado River drops an average of 7.5 feet per mile (1.42 m/km) through the Grand Canyon. The greatest descent of the Gunnison River occurs within the park at Chasm View dropping 240 feet per mile (45 m/km).[4] The Black Canyon is so named due its steepness which makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate into its depths. As a result, the canyon is often shrouded in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black. At its narrowest point the canyon is only 40 ft (12 m) wide at the river.[4][5]

The extreme steepness and depth of the Black Canyon formed as the result of several geologic processes acting together. The Gunnison River is primarily responsible for carving the canyon, though several other geologic events had to occur in order to form the canyon as it is seen today.[6] The rock exposed is metamorphic - gneiss and schist and granite. This hard rock does not weather like the softer sandstone of the Grand Canyon.

Tags:   Colorado Gunnison Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Canyon Granite Vista Landscape Sony A7R Clouds River Geology

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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Tags:   Colorado Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Sony A7R Granite Crags Cliff Erosion River Rapids HDR Steep Overlook CLouds Blue Sky Vista

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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Tags:   Colorado Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Sony A7R River Clouds Steep Granite HDR

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