Butte and Boulders

(Click image to enlarge)

This image is the result of my first attempt to photograph a geological formation that drew my attention for decades. It is a small butte, the other side of which is still buried into a large flat plain that extends for miles. The side shown in this photograph has been revealed by erosion. The enormous boulders, some of which are 5 to 6 feet high, were formerly harder cap rocks, like those seen at the top of the formation. They protect the softer lower layers from erosion and create the formation over time. They were left behind as the lower layers were undercut and eroded away over millennia.