Landscape Images

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Category:Scenic

Subcategory:Landscapes

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Keywords:Ben, Ben Carlson, Ben Carlson Photography, Carlson, Carlson Photography, John Day Fossil Beds, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Mitchell, OR, Mitchell, Oregon, Oregon, Oregon State, Painted Hills, Wheeler County, Wheeler County, OR, Wheeler County, Oregon, black, hills, landscape, mountains, photography, scenic, tan

Photo Info

Dimensions4357 x 6180

Original file size23.7 MB

Image typeJPEG

Painted Hills Buckskin

There are so many different angles that can be photographed in different sections. These colors reminded me of a buckskin horse. The Painted Hills is one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, located in Wheeler County, Oregon. It is named after the colorful layers of its hills corresponding to various geological eras, formed when the area was an ancient river floodplain. The weathering of volcanic ash under varying climatic regimes resulted in vividly-hued rock layers of red, pink, bronze, tan, and black. The black soil is lignite that was vegetative matter that grew along the floodplain. The grey coloring is mudstone, siltstone, and shale. The red coloring is laterite soil that formed by floodplain deposits when the area was warm and humid. Tones and hue may appear to change from one visit to another, as the clay stones differ with ever-changing light and moisture levels. Walking on the hills is strictly prohibited; please respect the landscape if you visit the area.