ramalama_22
Mecca Hills, California - Red Layer Marks San Andreas Fault
A closer look at the layer of red rock (standing on end) marking the main trace of the San Andreas Fault. The grey rock was formed under salt water. The San Andreas Fault extends down all the way through the earth's crust. These rocks were once buried deep in the earth and were exposed by erosion of the overlying layers after being raised by a long series of Japan-sized earthquakes.
The foreground is part of a rift valley that has dropped many miles and continues south below sea level as the Salton Sea, Imperial Valley, and Gulf of California. The other side of the rift here is a high (up to 10000 feet) steep cliff along the edge of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.
Mecca Hills, California - Red Layer Marks San Andreas Fault
A closer look at the layer of red rock (standing on end) marking the main trace of the San Andreas Fault. The grey rock was formed under salt water. The San Andreas Fault extends down all the way through the earth's crust. These rocks were once buried deep in the earth and were exposed by erosion of the overlying layers after being raised by a long series of Japan-sized earthquakes.
The foreground is part of a rift valley that has dropped many miles and continues south below sea level as the Salton Sea, Imperial Valley, and Gulf of California. The other side of the rift here is a high (up to 10000 feet) steep cliff along the edge of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.