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Nature Science

RAINBOW PATTERNED MOUNTAINS ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW

Zhangye Danxia Landform, China by Kashif Pathan.
by Kashif Pathan. Zhangye Danxia Landform. China.

These rainbow patterned mountains will blow your mind. Check them out below.

Zhangye Danxia Landform. China.

ZHANGYE DANXIA

Rainbow patterns, formed in the sedimentary rock, make the land formation, known as Zhangye Danxia, in China's northwestern Gansu province such an amazing sight to behold.

Located in the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park (张掖丹霞国家地质公园), spanning an area of 510 square kilometres (200 sq mi).

Zhangye Danxia Park. Zhangye. Gansu, China.

The remarkable color variation is the result of sandstone and other mineral deposits layering over the course of 24 million years. Compressed, then buckled by tectonic plate movement, together, they form surreal layer cakes several hundred meters tall. 

Zhangye Danxia. Gansu Province, China.

Over this epic time period, wind and rain sculpted towers, pillars, and ravines, each displaying the striated patterns in different configurations.

Zhangye Danxia contains the greatest collection of different natural stone pigments in the world.

Zhangye Danxia Landform. China.

The region has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2010.

Fire Wave Sunset. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.

RAINBOW VISTA, Valley of Fire -- NEVADA

In the Mojave Desert, where geological drama abounds, colorful stone arches, domes, chimneys, ridges, and valleys were built up by deposits and carved out by weather, over 150 million years.

Autumn Wave. Fire Wave. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.

There, one extraordinary natural monument rises up, displaying a stunning rainbow pattern.

The Rainbow Vista rivals the pizazz of bright lights on the strip in Las Vegas, only 1 hour away, set in the 35,000 acre Valley of Fire State Park.

Rainbow Vista. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.

When sunlight strikes the bright red rocks that form the Valley walls, it looks like they are on fire. When the rays hit the layers of multicolored rocks that form the Rainbow Vista, it looks like magic. The rock rainbow stretches for many miles.

Colorful Drainage. Kaolin Wash. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.

We imagine the dinosaurs that roamed here as the rainbow patterns began to build up during the Mesozoic Era. Later, the prehistoric Anasazi people farmed nearby, visiting the rainbowed lands to hunt, gather wild food, & connect with their spiritual world.

Valley of Fire. Nevada.

Be sure to check out the fine examples of rock art (petroglyphs) throughout the Valley.

The Wave. Valley of Fire, Nevada.

Read more about Beautiful Patterns in Spotted Beauty Triumphs! The Magnificence of Appaloosas Now.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

Valley of Fire State Park at Sunset. Nevada.

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 Crazy Hill Sunrise. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.

IMAGE CREDITS:

  1. Image: by Kashif Pathan. Zhangye Danxia Landform. China.
  2. Image: by Evgeni Zotov. Zhangye Danxia Park. Zhangye. Gansu, China.
  3. Image: by P Bibler. Zhangye Danxia. Gansu Province. China.
  4. Image: by Kashif Pathan. Zhangye Danxia Landform. China.
  5. Image: by guido da rozze. Zhangye Danxia Landform. China.
  6. Image: by James Marvin Phelps. Fire Wave Sunset. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.
  7. Image: by James Marvin Phelps. Autumn Wave. Fire Wave. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.
  8. Image: by James Marvin Phelps. Rainbow Vista. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.
  9. Image: by James Marvin Phelps. Rainbow Vista. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.
  10. Image: by James Marvin Phelps. Colorful Drainage. Kaolin Wash. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.
  11. Image: by Jenny Salita. Valley of Fire. Nevada.
  12. Image: by Howard Ignatius. The Wave. Valley of Fire, Nevada.
  13. Image: by LDELD. Valley of Fire State Park at Sunset.Nevada.
  14. Image: by BN App - Download now!
  15. Image: by James Marvin Phelps. Crazy Hill Sunrise. Valley of Fire State Park. Overton, Nevada.
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