#Eroded Formations

[thorsenmark]

It Looks To Be an Exciting Day in Bryce Canyon National Park! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the east-northeast while taking in views across hoodoos and other eroded formations present in Bryce Canyon National Park. This view is located at Sunset Point and just around sunrise. My thought on composing the image was to time an image captured around the point of sunrise, but some low clouds were present to minimize that look. I chose to work with HDR Efex Pro 2 to better bring that complete color setting in the image. I later exported a TIFF image to DxO PhotoLab 5 where I did some final adjustments with contrast, saturation and brightness for the final image.

[leftski-art]

Finally getting around to sharing my character for a Pathfinder campaign I'm currently part of!

He's a Gargoyle Bloodrager who drowned at sea and was later resurrected by the goddess who resides within it to act as her emissary

[emeraldcityminerals]

Bryce Canyon - Pink and white siltstone and sandstone of the Tertiary (60 - 45 my) Claron Formation. The formation erodes quickly and the rim of the canyon is eroding at between 9 and 48 inches per year.

[vestaignis]

Черный пляж Рейнисфьяра.

Великолепный пляж Рейнисфьяра (также употребляется название «Рейнисфияра») с черным песком расположен на юге Исландии, близ крошечной деревушки Вик и мыса Дирхоулаэй — самой южной точки острова.

Пляж покрыт черным песком, цвет которого связан с находящимся неподалеку вулканом. Извергаемая им лава при попадании в океан застывала на дне, приобретая черный цвет. В течение многих лет вода размывала и дробила эти осадочные образования, превращая их в черный вулканический песок и вынося на берег. Помимо песка, на пляже встречаются галька и камни также близких к черному цвету оттенков.

Протяженность пляжа Рейнисфьяра составляет около 5 километров, а ширина достигает нескольких десятков метров. Примечательно, что песок на пляже очень чистый, по нему приятно пройтись. Количество посетителей на пляже, как правило, невелико даже в так называемый высокий сезон для Исландии.

The black beach of Reinisfjara.

The magnificent beach of Reinisfjara . The black sand beach is located in the south of Iceland, near the tiny village of Vik and Cape Dirhoulay, the southernmost point of the island.

The beach is covered with black sand, the color of which is associated with a nearby volcano. The lava it spewed into the ocean solidified at the bottom, turning black. Over the years, the water eroded and crushed these sedimentary formations, turning them into black volcanic sand and bringing them ashore. In addition to sand, pebbles and stones are also found on the beach in shades close to black.

The length of Reinisfjara beach is about 5 kilometers, and the width reaches several tens of meters. It is noteworthy that the sand on the beach is very clean, it is pleasant to walk on it. The number of visitors to the beach is usually low, even during the so-called high season for Iceland.

Источник://www.tourister.ru/world/europe/iceland/city/vik/beachs/25478, /in-w.ru/чернее-чёрного-вулканический-пляж-ре/, //moscow-airports.com/fakty/chernyj-plyazh-rejnisfiyara-v-islandii-kak-tam-poyavilsya-neobychnyj-pesok.html, /kolland.art/places /chernyj-plyazh-rejnisfyara/.

[lvmimis]

“You’ve aged, Morax.”

Zhongli bristles at your words, or perhaps his old name, for a moment, if only a small imperceptible increased tensing to his already stony posture, and you correct yourself.

“I should say Zhongli. I’m sorry.”

You can’t tell if he’s upset now for a few more moments, and something in your belly stirs in apprehension, but he laughs at your poor attempt for a joke, then relaxes his posture finally; you let out a careful sigh and sink to the ground, pulling your knees closer to your chest as you sit, thankful for the slit in your Liyue-issue silk, a welcome change from the ankara cotton you’re used to.

“You don’t look old,” you add for good measure, and he turns to you and smiles.

“I disagree,” he pauses, ruminating over six thousand years in a mere matter of moments. “Admittedly, I would love for it to show more… I do appreciate the ability of humans to grow old, even if they eventually return to dust.”

He shifts his weight from one foot to another, arms uncrossing so that his hands rest in loosely held fists behind his back.

“Gods and humans alike, even if we often claim to share so little with humans.”

A cool breeze cuts through suddenly, blowing in the foot wide space between the two of you as you stand together in the Guili Plains. The mention of dust has you bristling this time in turn, without the stoicism of your companion to carefully mask it. 

Thousands of years ago, his friend died here, dissipating as the finest of dust particles, carried away by the wind. Years pass, and time may heal all wounds, but untreated wounds also fester painfully.

You will never understand what it meant to share in that sort of communion. Not with him. Your understanding of Morax, Rex Lapis, Zhongli is different, having met while pleading for amnesty from as many gods as possible throughout Teyvat in order to protect your people. Morax had appeared surprised by how far you traveled, and how bold (perhaps stupid) you were to request a truce but had chosen to understand your desperation, he’d seen enough of it before, and when tragedy tore through every land, he hadn’t forgotten his promise. Morax then had promised to protect you, offering more than a simple request for nonviolence, and you remained thankful for it, your lands in Natlan untouched with a strong ally, and your friendship had begun ever since, through letters and long-spaced visits.

There’s a clear gradient of power between you that has slowly eroded with friendly affection over time, but at this point, you visit and spend time with each other, but you are not sure where you stand.

Perhaps never as ideological equals, not like the members of the Guili Assembly.

And yet, you appreciate the time spent with him right now. 

Zhongli finally takes a seat as well among the grasses, close to you. The glaze lilies still sway with the wind, their buds closed shut in the sunlight, preferring to bloom under moonlight and shadow. Humble without lacking beauty or the ability to inspire awe.

Like Guizhong. Like Zhongli. 

“Thank you for coming to see me,” he offers.

You don’t turn to look at him immediately because your heart is warmed more than what is imparted by Liyue’s setting sun shining upon you. From your vantage point are acres of sloping hills of green, orange and gold, elegant rock formations bordering graceful seas, and refined architecture. 

The people are kind and welcoming, happy much like your own.

“Thank you for having me again after all these years. Liyue is beautiful,” you praise, and you mean it. You turn to him, grinning. 

“Your people are lively; the lands are prosperous. They should be happy to have you as their god.”

Zhongli chuckles to himself. 

“I think they thrive despite me, and I’m very thankful for it.”

You tilt your head at him to mock his humility, but his smile disarms you. Still, you insist:

“Even if you give up your Gnosis, you’re still you.”

Zhongli turns his body towards you - your hands graze past each other and you quickly pull back, hoping he cannot tell that your heart has skipped a beat. 

You are a minor - rather, lesser - god, and you should be thankful you are even friends, that he is willing to entertain you despite all this time. 

Do not ask for more, you remind yourself again.

“And what am I exactly?”

His eyebrow is raised and there’s a sparkle of mischief in the way he looks at you.

“Zhongli, not Morax. Not one of the Seven, but a consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.”

“Exactly.”

Zhongli rises again and reaches out a gloved hand for you to help you up. You take it, patting grass off of your dress, realizing he hasn’t let go even though you are both standing.

He doesn’t let go even as he takes the first step and you wonder if he’s forgotten himself. 

“The Yun-Han Opera Troupe is performing tonight. We should hurry back so you can see what else Liyue has to offer.”

He pauses, still holding your hand as you keep up, then smiles at you.

“I hope I can keep you just as enamored…” 

There’s a deliberate pause as if he is distracted, and he clears his throat quickly then continues, “... with this beautiful place during this visit.”

“Of course,” you reply, nodding quickly, following his lead.

And your heart skips a beat, and you wonder if he knows.

But just this, being together with him despite the millenia, is enough - after all, you are the goddess of compromise and second chances.

[guerillas-of-history]

🔴 Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine:

The occupation bears full responsibility for the chaos.

We warn against exploiting our people’s suffering and call for the formation of popular guard committees to protect the home front.

In light of the catastrophic circumstances afflicting our people in the Gaza Strip—brought about by the intensifying zionist war of genocide, the siege, and deliberate starvation, and the resulting dire humanitarian, economic, and security fallout—the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine warns of the dangerous rise in disorder, lawlessness, attacks on property, and intimidation of citizens across the Strip. These behaviors are inseparable from the zionist scheme to dismantle our unity, fracture our national and social cohesion, and plunge our internal arena into chaos and division in a desperate attempt to break our steadfastness and will.

While the Front condemns these phenomena in the strongest terms, it places full responsibility on the zionist occupation, which has created this tragic reality through bombing, destruction, a systematic policy of siege and starvation, and its ongoing targeting of civilians, institutions, and security forces—all in an overt bid to undermine the home front and erode our people’s resilience.

The Front reiterates its full support for Gaza’s security forces in pursuing outlaws and collaborators with the occupation and condemns the zionist targeting of police personnel. It calls for resolute action against these criminals through the united efforts of all segments of our people.

Accordingly, the PFLP calls for the establishment of popular guard committees throughout the Strip—drawing on national and social bodies, community figures, and youth—to safeguard public and private property, relief and service institutions, reinforce societal security, foil any attempts to foment chaos or internal strife, and confront infiltration by occupation agents or criminals.

The Front highly appreciates the stance of patriotic Palestinian families who have honorably opposed such disorder, rejected any conduct that threatens communal security and civil peace, and expressed full readiness to cooperate with the relevant authorities to protect internal stability. This popular consciousness is the true safety valve for our unity.

At the same time, the PFLP warns that some large merchants, influential figures, and businesspeople are exploiting the situation for personal gain—hoarding basic goods, hiking prices, and profiteering from money transfers at exorbitant rates. Such practices are no less dangerous than security chaos; they represent another face of exploitation and deepen citizens’ suffering. The Front therefore demands strict measures to hold anyone proven to be manipulating people’s livelihoods to account.

The present moment, with all its challenges, requires every force, sector, and component of our people to rise to the level of national responsibility and close ranks against these conspiracies. Protecting the home front, strengthening social solidarity, and standing with the afflicted and marginalized are national and moral duties—the first line of defense for our people.

The Front also stresses that what is unfolding in Gaza does not absolve the Arab nation of its responsibilities; rather, it compels it to meet its pan-Arab and humanitarian obligations toward our besieged people, to act swiftly to break the blockade, halt the massacres, and provide tangible support in the face of this open genocide backed by the United States and the West.

Glory to our resistant people and to our righteous martyrs.

Shame and disgrace to all who serve the occupation or profit from our people’s pain.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Central Media Department

3 May 2025

[beautiful-basque-country]

Flysch in the Basque coast [x].

Those lines of rock are called flysch, but how did we end up with this strange formation? We need to imagine the cliffs once were very much more inside the ocean than now. Tides and waves eroded it, making the first layer of the cliff rock weak until it eventually collapsed, leaving just its basis behind: we have our first line of the flysch.

For thousands of years, the ocean has been gaining ground to the land, that is now just a beautiful souvenir of rock layers running along the cliffs that can be seen on a low tide.

[apod]

2025 April 28

Gum 37 and the Southern Tadpoles Image Credit & Copyright: Francis Bozon & Cecil Navick (AstroA. R. O.)

Explanation: This cosmic skyscape features glowing gas and dark dust clouds alongside the young stars of NGC 3572. A beautiful emission nebula and star cluster, it sails far southern skies within the nautical constellation Carina. Stars from NGC 3572 are toward top center in the telescopic frame that would measure about 100 light-years across at the cluster's estimated distance of 9,000 light-years. The visible interstellar gas and dust, shown in colors of the Hubble palette, is part of the star cluster's natal molecular cloud, itself cataloged as Gum 37. Dense streamers of material within the nebula, eroded by stellar winds and radiation, clearly trail away from the energetic young stars. They are likely sites of ongoing star formation with shapes reminiscent of the Tadpoles of IC 410 -- better known to northern skygazers. In the coming tens to hundreds of millions of years, gas and stars in the cluster will be dispersed though, by gravitational tides and by violent supernova explosions that end the short lives of the massive cluster stars.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250428.html

[thorsenmark]

My Camera Loves Joining Me on My Adventures in Nature at Bryce Canyon National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the south while taking in views across hoodoos and other eroded formations at Farview Point in Bryce Canyon National Park.

[travelmanposts]

Nature's Window, Kalbarri National Park, Australia: This is probably the most famous point of interest within Kalbarri National Park. this is a natural land formation with an eroded centre creating a natural window frame with the Murchison River in the background. This is a very famous spot with many tourists on hand to take photos... Kalbarri National Park is located 485 kilometres north of Perth, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Wikipedia

[mutant-distraction]

Rob Little

Petrified Forest National Park is an American national park located in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood, the park covers about 346 square miles (900 km2), and includes semi-desert shrub-steppe as well as highly eroded and colorful badlands. The park's headquarters is located about 26 miles (42 km) east of Holbrook along Interstate 40 (I-40), which parallels the South Transcon Line. The site, the northern portion of which extends into the Painted Desert, was declared a national monument in 1906 and a national park in 1962. The park has an average elevation of about 5,400 feet (1,600 m), and has a dry, windy climate with temperatures ranging from In the summer it is about 100°F (38°C) to winter lows well below freezing. The park has more than 400 species of plants, dominated by grasses such as punchweed, blue grama, and sacaton. Animals include larger animals such as pronghorn, coyotes, and lynx; many small animals, such as deer, mice, snakes, lizards and seven species of amphibians; And more than 200 species of birds, some of which are permanent residents and many of which are migratory. About one-third of the park is designated wilderness—50,260 acres (79 sq mi; 203 km2)—

The Petrified Forest is famous for its fossils, especially deciduous trees that lived in the Late Triassic, about 225 million years ago. The deposits containing the fossil trunks are part of the colorful and widespread Chinle Formation, from which the Painted Desert gets its name. Beginning about 60 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau, of which the park is a part, was pushed upward by tectonic forces and subjected to further erosion. All of the park's rock layers above the Chinle River, except for younger geological strata in parts of the park, have been removed by wind and water. In addition to fossilized tree trunks, fossils found in the park included Late Triassic ferns, cycads, ginkgos, and many other plants as well as animals including giant reptiles called phytosaurs, large amphibians, and early dinosaurs. Paleontologists have discovered and studied the park's fossils since the early 1900s.

[hopefulkidshark]

Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey: Göreme is a town (belde) in the Nevşehir District, Nevşehir Province in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is well known for its fairy chimneys , eroded rock formations, many of which were hollowed out in the Middle Ages to create Christian churches, houses and underground cities. Göreme was formerly known as Korama, Matiana, Macan and Avcilar. Göreme sits at the heart of a network of valleys filled with astonishing rock formations. Being a centre of early Christianity, it also has the most painted churches, as well as hermitages and monasteries, in Cappadocia. Wikipedia

[beautifulmars]

Layering in the Medusae Fossae Formation

An adjacent observation shows nice fine layering within an upper section of the Medusa Fossae Formation, which is a soft, easily eroded deposit that extends for nearly 1,000 km along the equator of Mars. It looks like the layering may actually be quite continuous laterally. (Enhanced color cutout is less than 1 km across; black and white is less than 5 km.)

ID: ESP_075873_1735 date: 3 October 2022 altitude: 267 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Wordplay Wednesday: Unconformities

Unconformity is a word used quite often by geologists. This is in reference to a contact between rocks that are unconformable or that were not deposited in sequence. There are several types of unconformities. Take the one above that I took at John Day Fossil Beds. The pale strata at the bottom of the hills are the fossil bearing John Day Formation from the Eocene/Oligocene (56-23.03 Ma). This is primarily welded tuff and tuffaceous siltstones. The dark strata above that is the Miocene Columbia River Basalts.

There is a distinct erosional surface between the two layers. This is called a disconformity. A disconformity is  an unconformity between parallel layers of sedimentary rocks which represents a period of erosion or non-deposition.

In the Wind River Gorge in Wyoming, there is another kind of unconformity called a nonconformity. A nonconformity occurs when sedimentary rocks are deposited on top of igneous or metamorphic rocks that have been eroded.  In the above photograph, Cambrian Flathead Sandstone was deposited on top of eroded Archean granite.

Perhaps you have heard of the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon? It's pretty famous even by non-geologists. It is the final kind of unconformity, the angular unconformity. An angular unconformity is a gap in the geologic record where tilted, eroded rock layers are overlain by younger, horizontal layers of sedimentary rock.

In review:

Tune in tomorrow for a look at the father of paleontology and make sure you remember today's terminology. It will be important for next Tuesday! Fossilize you later!

[saritapaleo]

More basal than some of the later Late Cretaceous oviraptorosaurs, Wulatelong gobiensis was a small, long-legged oviraptorid native to Northern China. While small, it was considerably larger than most basal oviraptorids. Like other oviraptorosaurs, its toothless, parrot-like beak was likely an adaptation for a diet of tough desert plants. Living in an arid environment where you don’t know when your next meal will come along may have also led to an opportunistically omnivorous diet. This “dragon of Wulate” is known from a nearly complete skeleton, however, its remains were scattered, eroded, and damaged by insects before being fossilized, so not much else is known about it.

The Bayan Mandahu Formation of Late Cretaceous Northern China was semi-arid, and many fossils were preserved by sudden wind-blown sandstorms. It was similar to the nearby Djadochta Formation, and shared many of the same types of animal. Short-lived streams, oases, and arroyos would have attracted much of the life here. Wulatelong would have lived alongside (and possibly been hunted by) the similarly-sized dromaeosaur Linheraptor. It would have also shared this harsh environment with the alvarezsaur Linhenykus, troodontids Linhevenator and Philovenator, and crocodylomorphs like Shamosuchus, as well as small birds, lizards, and mammals.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Reference: Gem Formation

Most gems form naturally as minerals within the Earth.

Most form as crystals, solids whose atoms are arranged in highly ordered repeating patterns called crystal systems.

TRADITIONALLY, we were taught there are 3 kinds of rock formation processes:

Igneous rocks - are created with heat, deep within the Earth.

Metamorphic rocks - form when heat and pressure conditions change existing minerals into something new.

Sedimentary rocks - form from deposits of sediment.

TODAY, geologists prefer to describe rock formation as involving 4 processes:

Molten rock and associated fluids

Environmental changes

Surface water

Gem formation in the Earth's mantle

Technically, gems rarely form in the Earth's magma itself.

Rather, they form from fluids that escape from it, such as gems from hydrothermal deposits and pegmatites.

Diamond Crystallization

Diamonds crystallize at temperatures higher than other minerals.

Scientists now believe that most diamonds may form in the magma, near the Earth's crust where it's the coolest.

If true, this also means that conditions for diamond crystallization are the most common underground.

Diamonds may actually be the most plentiful crystals in the Earth.

They just aren't the easiest to reach.

How Diamonds Reach the Surface:

A magma pocket comes in contact with a weak area in the crust.

A quick explosion results, carrying diamond-bearing magma to the surface. During the eruption, a cone builds on the surface.

The carrot-shaped pipe eventually cools.

The cone quickly erodes away (geologically speaking), leaving the diamond-bearing earth where people can reach it.

How Mountain Building and Erosion Bring Gems to the Surface:

Over vast periods of time, the movement of the continental plates causes mountains to rise. Then, years of weathering take down the mountain, leaving the gem deposits near the surface. This process takes many millions of years.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Gemology