Monument Valley: Navajo Culture And Old West Hollywood History

Above, the West and East Mittens. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since 2016, I have been to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park three times. The first was part of my cross-country trip to Metropolis, Illinois.

Each time, I've done something different. During my first visit, I took a two-hour afternoon tour. On My second visit, I took a sunrise tour. Then, three months ago, I did some horseback riding. 

Above, the Sun's Eye. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Monument Valley is only a few hours away from home and I have enjoyed it each time I've been there.

Only In Your State posted a photo collection of what visitors can see in Monument Valley.

They begin with:

Welcome to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. This area of Utah was originally settled by Puebloan peoples, who lived here for 1,000 years,hunting and growing crops until roughly 1250 A.D.

 

Above, inside a Navajo hogan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To see the photographs, go here.

Best Rock Formations In The U.S.

Above, John Ford Point in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The continental United States boasts some of the most interesting and spectacular geology in the world. Travelers go far and wide to see them. 

TheTravel has posted a list of the 10 most remarkable rock formations in the United States.

They begin with:

The United States is full of stunning rock formations, including arches, balanced rocks, spires, butts, and more. While the bulk of America's most stunning rock formations are out west in places like Arches National Park and in the Najavo Nation (such as Monument Valley), some incredible formations can be found in the East.

Here are ten of the most remarkable rock formations found in the United States.

To see what they are, go here. 

Is A Yellowstone Eruption Closer Than Thought?

Above, a Yellowstone mudpot. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park is a super-volcano. Its features are the result of volcanic activity.

Scientists are studying the park's geology. Some are wondering whether or not an eruption of the super-volcano is closer than we thought.

This is the subject of an article in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

They begin it with:

POWELL — In the same way digital photography has evolved from 3 megapixel state-of-the-art professional DSLR cameras in the late 90s to folks now carrying 15 megapixel cameras in their cellphones, scientists are enjoying the benefits from vastly improved imaging, a leading expert studying the Yellowstone Volcano reports.

A team of researchers from the University of Utah, New Mexico University and the Institute of Earth Sciences in Taiwan in 2020 deployed 650 temporary seismometers in Yellowstone to measure seismic wave speeds in the subsurface of the caldera’s magma chamber.

The massive deployment resulted in the best picture of the magma chamber ever seen and has led to interesting findings. Important — though rarely discussed around work-place water coolers outside of those intended for scientists — the deployment provided a view at how magma waves behave; specifically if horizontally oriented waves of magma are faster or slower than vertically oriented ones.

To read more, go here.

Best Scenic View In Every National Park

Above, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Summer vacation season is only a month away and if one has national park visits on the itinerary, here's a helpful article.

Outside Magazine has posted a list of national parks and their best scenic views visitors would enjoy while visiting.

The start it with:

There’s nothing better than rolling up to an incredible panorama in one of our storied national parks. The following views, of high-desert mesas, moss-cloaked redwoods, vast mountain ranges, and more, have something to stoke the inner wonder of just about everyone.

I’ve visited every national park in America, and some the most awe-inspiring experiences in each are the stunning overlooks. So I’ve selected a list of my favorite vistas in all 63 parks, with a keen eye for easy access and geological diversity. Of course, I threw in a couple of leg-busting treks and arm-churning paddles for those among us who like to sweat to earn their views, too.

 To read more, go here.

25 Best Places To Visit In New Mexico

Above, Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

New Mexico is a diversified state with many different cultural attractions, small towns and large cities, archeology, geology and annual festivals.

Travel Lemming has listed 25 of the best places to visit in New Mexico in 2023. I have been to some of them.

They start with:

I’ve extensively traveled through the Southwest and in this guide, I share the absolute best places to visit in New Mexico!

Read on to learn about the most popular New Mexico attractions, including Santa Fe, Roswell, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I also cover lesser-known spots, like where to find hot springs, sample New Mexico wines, and see otherworldly landscapes. 

Above, the Roswell International UFO Museum and Research Center. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

How Old Is Yosemite Valley?

Above, an early morning view of Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was while I was in fourth grade that I first learned about Yosemite National Park in California. It was there that I learned about Yosemite Valley and the prominent mountain formations such as El Capitan, The Three Brothers and Half Dome.

Scientists have been studying the formation of Yosemite Valley and have new estimates on its age and how it was formed.

An article in the Lake County News begins with:

BERKELEY, Calif. — First-time visitors to Yosemite Valley gape in awe at the sheer granite wall of El Capitan and the neatly sliced face of Half Dome, aware, perhaps vaguely, that rain and glaciers must have taken a long time to cut and sculpt that landscape. But how long?

Did it all start 50 million years ago, when the granite through which the valley cuts was first exposed to the elements? Was it 30 million years ago, when data suggest canyons in the southern Sierra Nevada began to form? Did the valley only begin to form after the Sierra tilted toward the west some 5 million years ago, or was it mostly due to glaciers that formed in a cooling climate 2 to 3 million years ago?

Geologists from the University of California, Berkeley, employed a novel technique of rock analysis to get a more precise answer, and concluded that much of Yosemite Valley’s impressive depth was carved since 10 million years ago, and most likely even more recently — over the past 5 million years. This shaves about 40 million years off the oldest estimates.

Rivers performed the initial carving in a preexisting shallow valley, they determined, and then both rivers and ice contributed recently.

While the scientists are unable to be more precise, the new estimate is the first to be based on an experimental study of the granite rocks in and near Yosemite, rather than on inferences based on what was going on elsewhere in the Sierra Nevada.

To read more, go here. 

Pacific Undersea Province Given Name ‘Godzilla Megamullion’

Above, an iconic photo from the first iconic Godzilla movie of 1954. Toho Co., Ltd. photo.

A Pacific undersea geologic feature will be named after the "King of The Monsters".

The location is near the islands of Okinotorishima and Guam.

According to the Asahi Shimbun:

Godzilla will soon have a home as an undersea province off Okinotorishima, a tiny island that is Japan’s southernmost point.

A proposal to name the area "Godzilla Megamullion" was approved at a January meeting of the Sub-Committee on Undersea Features Names (SCUFN).

The committee was jointly set up by the International Hydrographic Organization and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

The name will be used in nautical charts and research papers.

The megamullion is 125 kilometers in length and 55 km in width, about three times larger than Tokyo.

Its shape does not bear a resemblance to Godzilla, but researchers thought the monster’s name would be fitting because it is believed to be one of the largest on Earth.

According to Japan Coast Guard’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department, a megamullion is a dome-shaped rise created by the exposure of mantle beneath the Earth’s crust, typically caused by a large-scale dip-slip.

To read more, go here. 

Japan: Deepest Earthquake Ever Detected

Japan is well known for its volcanoes and earthquakes. It is right on the Pacific's "Ring of Fire".

Many volcanic eruptions have been noted in recorded history, most recently it was Mount Aso in Kyushu and the Tohoku Earthquake (the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami) is still fresh in people's minds despite having taken place ten years ago.

An interesting earthquake took place under Japan's Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Islands) several years ago. At a depth of 423 miles, it was one of the deepest earthquakes ever recorded. National Geographic has posted an interesting article about it.

They begin it with:

One spring evening six years ago, hundreds of miles underground, our planet began to rumble from a series of peculiar earthquakes. Most of Earth's temblors strike within a few dozen miles of the surface, but these quakes stirred at depths where temperatures and pressures grow so intense that rocks tend to bend rather than break.

The first jolt, which struck off the coasts of Japan's remote Bonin Islands, was recorded at magnitude 7.9 and up to 680 kilometers (423 miles) underground, making it one of the deepest quakes of its size. Then another oddity emerged in the cascade of aftershocks that followed: a tiny temblor that, if confirmed, would be the deepest earthquake ever detected.

 To read more, go here.

Geological Guide To Lassen Volcanic National Park Published

Above, a view of Lassen Peak from Devastated Area in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The very first national park I ever visited was Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California at age 14. I returned there two years ago during my Great American Eclipse trip.

A new guide book on the geology of Lassen Volcanic National Park and surrounding vicinity. Before the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the eruption of Lassen Peak in 1915 was the last volcanic eruption in the continental United States.

According to Plumas News:

The Earth is not always quiet. An isolated region of northeast California offers a land of boiling springs, steaming sulfur vents, mud pots and volcanoes. The boisterous geology of the southern Cascades is defined by Lassen Volcanic National Park. A complex and compelling geologic story is told in “The Geology of the Lassen Country: The Geologic Story of Lassen Volcanic National Park & Vicinity,” a new book by R. Forrest Hopson and Michael A. Clynne. 

While Lassen Country is not a formal name, it is used to describe both the national park and surrounding areas. The area encompasses a variety of fascinating geologic features set in a unique volcanic landscape.

To read more, go here.