sandstone

Imaggeo on Mondays: Red triassic sandstone

Hazel Gibson April 6, 2020

Red triassic sandstone (Orcombe Rocks, East Devon). Credit: Sarah Weick (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

As child growing up on the south coast of Devon in the UK, I never really realised that our beaches were unusual. A glorious, glowing orange-red colour, the cliffs that you can see in this photograph by Sarah Weick produced similarly red sand beaches and warm ochre soils. The bright colour is the result of the sandstone and conglomerates of these rocks, collectively called the New Red Sandstones, ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: The sun rises also in the middle of nowhere

Hazel Gibson February 17, 2020

Credit: Andrea Libertino (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Uluru in Australia is one of the most visibly recognisable geological features in the world. This sandstone formation covers an area of 3.3 kilometres and stands 345 metres above the plains around it. According to geoscientists, the rocks that form Uluru were deposited in an inland sea during the Cambrian Period approximately 500 million years ago. The arkose sandstones were then uplifted and fold ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Mondays: Contrasting Colors of Pinnacles and Mountains

Hazel Gibson February 3, 2020

Contrasting Colors: Pinnacles & Mountains. Credit: Lukas Hörtnagl (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Despite its rugged appearance of sandstone pinnacles and arches, the ecosystem of Arches National Park in Utah, U.S.A. is very fragile. Beyond the normal ‘high desert’ environment, this beautiful landscape is home to microbial communities in the soil called cryptobiotic crusts. These biological soil crusts are very vulnerable to damage and when harmed they can take years to grow back. These barren ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Natural Bridges Monument, Utah, USA

Kimberly C. Galvez June 5, 2017

Natural Bridges Monument . Credit: Kimberly C. Galvez (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Slowly but surely, the force of water has carved out a beautiful landscape in the sandstones of the Colorado Plateau. Suspended over canyons, naturally formed bridges and arches are the starts of Utah’s first national monument. The geological and modern history of the region is rich as Kimberly Galvez, a student of the University of Miami, describes below. This image shows an overview of a ...[Read More]