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  • Several lava rocks hang over the floor of the Ape Cave in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave is a lava tube, formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens 2,000 years ago. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust. The rocks once hung from the ceiling of the cave, but broke off while lava was still flowing through the tube. They traveled with the flow until they became wedged in a narrow passage.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Lava-Rocks_5114.jpg
  • A bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) grows among the lava rocks that make up a cider cone in the Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.
    CratersOfTheMoon_Lava-Rock_Bitterroo...jpg
  • Bright molten lava flows into the Pacific Ocean at twilight at Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. The hot lava vaporizes the crashing waves, which reflect the lava's glow. The lava arrived at the ocean through an underground lava tube connected to the Pu'u O'o vent.
    LavaPacificOcean.jpg
  • Pahoehoe lava, characterized by its smooth, rope-like appearance, is one of three types of lava. Pahoehoe's ropy surface forms when a thin skin of cool lava is shoved into folds by hot, more-fluid lava just below the surface. This sample was found in Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho. Pahoehoe is pronounced Pa-hoy-hoy.
    CratersOfTheMoon_Pahoehoe_2534.jpg
  • Molten pahoehoe lava flows at the end of a lava tube in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Pahoehoe is the hottest – and most liquid – form of basaltic lava. This ropy pahoehoe results with the thin crust partially solidifies. Lava continues to flow behind it, pushing and folding it, not unlike an accordion.
    HI_Volcanoes_Pahoehoe_8679.jpg
  • Molten lava makes dramatic curved patterns as it breaks through solid rock in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii.
    LavaFlow-8661.jpg
  • A bright lava flow illuminates full-size trees as it flows past them at night at Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. The hot lava flows from the Pu'u O'o vent, which has erupted continuously since 1983.
    LavaFlow.jpg
  • Molten lava flows from an opening at the end of a lava tube from the Pu'u O'o Kila vent in Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii.
    LavaFlow-8663.jpg
  • Light filters into a lava tube known as Skylight Cave in Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, revealing the texture of its walls.
    Skylight-Cave_Texture_2686.jpg
  • This unusual "triple twist tree" growing out of a crack in a lava field at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho helped scientists determine the age of the flow here. The tree has 1,350 rings, so scientists figure the flow here is about 2,000 years old. This flow is the youngest in Craters of the Moon National Monument.
    CratersOfTheMoon_Triple-Twist-Tree_2...jpg
  • Snæfellsjökull, a 1,446 meter (4,744 foot) stratovolcano, is framed by a natural arch in a lava field in western Iceland. The volcano, which is active, last erupted approximately 1,800 years ago, creating lava fields at its base. The mountain is technically named Snæfell; Snæfellsjökull is the name of the glacier at its peak. It is commonly called Snæfellsjökull, however, to avoid confusing it with several other mountains with the same name. Snæfellsjökull means "snow glacier mountain," and it was featured in the 1864 novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne..
    Iceland_Snaefell_Arch_9606.jpg
  • At high tide, Pacific Ocean waves flow under a double lava arch on the coast at Yachats, Oregon.
    OR_DoubleArch_Yachats_2982.jpg
  • Colorful crustose lichens grow on lava rock at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. Lichens are a symbiosis of a fungus and a green alga and/or cyanobacterium. Crustose are very slow growing, typically growing 1 millimeter or less per year.
    CratersOfTheMoon_Lichen_2479.jpg
  • At high tide, Pacific Ocean waves flow under a double lava arch on the coast at Yachats, Oregon.
    OR_DoubleArch_Yachats_2999.jpg
  • Two hardened tubes are visible in the Ape Cave, a lava tube located near Mount St. Helens in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington state. The ape cave formed about 2,000 years ago during the only known period when fluid basaltic lava erupted from the volcano. The outside edges of the lava flow cooled first, providing a crust that allowed fluid lava to continue flowing inside. This period of activity may have lasted a year during which the lava level rose and fell, leading to the unique shapes inside the cave. The Ape Cave lava tube is 13,042 feet (3976 meters) long, ranking as the third-longest in North America. The cave is named for a local hiking club, the St. Helens Apes.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Two-Tubes_1065.jpg
  • Two hardened tubes are visible in the Ape Cave, a lava tube located near Mount St. Helens in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington state. The ape cave formed about 2,000 years ago during the only known period when fluid basaltic lava erupted from the volcano. The outside edges of the lava flow cooled first, providing a crust that allowed fluid lava to continue flowing inside. This period of activity may have lasted a year during which the lava level rose and fell, leading to the unique shapes inside the cave. The Ape Cave lava tube is 13,042 feet (3976 meters) long, ranking as the third-longest in North America. The cave is named for a local hiking club, the St. Helens Apes.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Two-Tubes_5130.jpg
  • The ceiling of the Ape Cave, a lava tube in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state, somewhat mimics the shape of the passage below. The Ape Cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters), making it the third-longest lava tube in North America. It formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Ceiling_5110.jpg
  • A shape resembling a volcano is visible on the wall of Subway Cave, a lava tube formed 30,000 years ago in California's Hat Creek Valley. The tube itself was formed when the top portion of the lava flow cooled to a hard crust while allowing hot lava to flow underneath. Eventually, the lava flow stopped, leaving behind the shell. This formation resulted from hot lava dripping from the ceiling of the tube.
    CA_SubwayCave_VolcanoShape_3617.jpg
  • A lava rock known as the "meatball" hangs over the floor of the Ape Cave in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave is a lava tube, formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens 2,000 years ago. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust. The meatball once hung from the ceiling of the cave, but broke off while lava was still flowing through the tube. It traveled with the flow until it became wedged in a narrow passage.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Meatball_5116.jpg
  • The ceiling of the Ape Cave, a lava tube in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state, somewhat mimics the shape of the passage below. The Ape Cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters), making it the third-longest lava tube in North America. It formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Ceiling_5111.jpg
  • The Ape Cave makes a sharp bend in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters), making it the third-longest lava tube in North America. It formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Bend_5094.jpg
  • The Ape Cave gently curves in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters), making it the third-longest lava tube in North America. It formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Passage_5087.jpg
  • A narrow passage of the Ape Cave gently curves in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters), making it the third-longest lava tube in North America. It formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Narrow-Curve_5091.jpg
  • Several tall mountains stand over the ancient lava flow Búrfells-hraun in northern Iceland. Geologists believe a large lava lake formed here and then collapsed, releasing a flood of lava. Pieces of the lava crust flowed as much as 10 km (6.2 miles) downstream.
    Iceland_Burfells-hraun_3957.jpg
  • Several tall mountains stand over the ancient lava flow Búrfells-hraun in northern Iceland. Geologists believe a large lava lake formed here and then collapsed, releasing a flood of lava. Pieces of the lava crust flowed as much as 10 km (6.2 miles) downstream.
    Iceland_Burfells-hraun_3941.jpg
  • Water that drips into the Ape Cave collects into a stream as it flows through North America’s third-largest lava tube, located in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust. The cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters) and the rock is porous, allowing rainwater to seep in.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Stream_5104.jpg
  • Water that drips into the Ape Cave collects into a stream as it flows through North America’s third-largest lava tube, located in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state. The Ape Cave formed during an eruption of Mount St. Helens approximately 2,000 years ago. An 8-mile-long (13-kilometer-long) lava flow poured down the southern flank of the volcano. Lava cools from the outside-in, so the flow became like a straw, allowing lava to continue to flow through a hardened crust. The cave is 13,042 feet long (3,975 meters) and the rock is porous, allowing rainwater to seep in.
    WA_Ape-Cave_Stream_5105.jpg
  • Dramatic ice sculptures form in the Guler Ice Cave, a partially collapsed lava tube near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave, located near the community of Trout Lake, features thousands of icicles and other ice formations. One end of the lava tube is lower than the other, which scientists believes traps cold air in the lava tube year round.
    GulerIceCave_8446.jpg
  • Dramatic ice sculptures form in the Guler Ice Cave, a partially collapsed lava tube near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave, located near the community of Trout Lake, features thousands of icicles and other ice formations. One end of the lava tube is lower than the other, which scientists believes traps cold air in the lava tube year round.
    GulerIceCave_8421.jpg
  • Three shafts of sunlight illuminate Skylight Cave in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. Skylight Cave is a lava tube and light enters through three skylights. Two of the skylights are hornito skylights, formed where lava was ejected through the crust of a flow some distance from the source of the magma.
    Skylight-Cave_Three-Beams_2749.jpg
  • The Hōlei Pali Cliffs of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tower 40 to 60 feet above the Pacific Ocean waves below. Full-size trees are visible at the top of this lava shelf. A long exposure captures the motion of storm clouds and of the Pacific Ocean waves slamming into the lava shelf on the Big Island of Hawai`i.
    HI_Volcanoes_Holei-Pali-Cliffs_9048.jpg
  • Pahoehoe.jpg
  • Subway Cave, located in Lassen National Forest, California, was formed 30,000 years ago by a lava flow in the Hat Creek Valley. During the flow, the top cooled and formed a hard crust while allowing hot lava to continue to flow underneath. Eventually, the lava stopped flowing, leaving behind this shell. Subway Cave is about a third of a mile (half a kilometer) in length.
    CA_SubwayCave_3606.jpg
  • Subway Cave, located in Lassen National Forest, California, was formed 30,000 years ago by a lava flow in the Hat Creek Valley. During the flow, the top cooled and formed a hard crust while allowing hot lava to continue to flow underneath. Eventually, the lava stopped flowing, leaving behind this shell. Subway Cave is about a third of a mile (half a kilometer) in length.
    CA_SubwayCave_3590.jpg
  • Three shafts of sunlight illuminate Skylight Cave in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. Skylight Cave is a lava tube and light enters through three skylights. Two of the skylights are hornito skylights, formed where lava was ejected through the crust of a flow some distance from the source of the magma.
    Skylight-Cave_Three-Beams_2771.jpg
  • Three shafts of sunlight illuminate Skylight Cave in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. Skylight Cave is a lava tube and light enters through three skylights. Two of the skylights are hornito skylights, formed where lava was ejected through the crust of a flow some distance from the source of the magma.
    Skylight-Cave_Three-Beams_2761.jpg
  • Three shafts of sunlight illuminate Skylight Cave in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. Skylight Cave is a lava tube and light enters through three skylights. Two of the skylights are hornito skylights, formed where lava was ejected through the crust of a flow some distance from the source of the magma.
    Skylight-Cave_Three-Beams_2740.jpg
  • Pacific Ocean waves shoot 50 feet into the air through a tiny hole in a lava shelf off on the Kauai coast known as the Spouting Horn blowhole. It sounds like a whale breathing, but Hawaiian legend says the sound is actually the "lizard woman" moaning. She would attack anyone who got too close. One day she chased a fisherman into a lava tube. He escaped; she's still stuck.
    SpoutingHorn.jpg
  • An ohia lehua tree (Metrosideros polymorpha) provides rare color on a lava field in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Ohio lehua are the most abundant native trees in Hawaii and are among the first life in new lava flows. According to Hawaiian legend, the tree is actually a young warrior. Pele, the goddess of fire, wanted to marry the warrior. When he refused, she turned him into a tree. The other gods weren't able to turn him back, so they turned his true love into the lehua blossom so they could be reunited. It's said that if you pick one of the blossoms, it will rain - the tears of lovers.
    HI_Volcanoes_OhiaLehua_Blossom_8493.jpg
  • Pacific Ocean waves crash under a lava shelf and power through a blowhole known as Spouting Horn on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Spouting Horn's spray often reaches 50 feet into the air.
    spouting-horn-sun_1152.jpg
  • Lichen grows on the walls near the entrance of Beauty Cave, a 300-foot (100-meter) long lava tube in the Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho.
    CratersOfTheMoon_Beauty-Cave_2519.jpg
  • Pacific Ocean waves crash under a lava shelf and power through a blowhole known as Spouting Horn on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Spouting Horn's spray often reaches 50 feet into the air.
    spouting-horn-sun.jpg
  • NoParkingLavaV.jpg
  • NoParkingLavaH.jpg
  • A long exposure captures the motion of Pacific Ocean waves crashing through the Hōlei Sea Arch in Volcanoes National Park, Hawai`i. The Hōlei Sea Arch is about 90 feet (27 meters) tall and quite young. The erosive force of the waves created the arch within the past 100 years. The lava cliff itself is only about 550 years old. Hōlei is the name for a small plant in the milkweed family.
    HI_Volcanoes_Holei-Sea-Arch_9022.jpg
  • An arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) in transition from its winter to summer coat walks across on old lava field on Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula. Arctic foxes have limbs, snouts and ears that are shorter than average, a feature that minimizes heat loss and the risk of frostbite. The pads of their feet are also covered in fur. Arctic foxes are primarily nocturnal; this fox was photographed shortly after midnight.
    Iceland_ArcticFox_7346.jpg
  • Pacific Ocean waves crash into a narrow inlet in an old lava flow near Princeville on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
    kauai-inlet-princeville.jpg
  • Thousands of icicles, including some that stretch from floor to ceiling, form in the Guler Ice Cave near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave is a partially collapsed lava tube formed during an eruption of Mount Adams during the past 20,000 years. One end of the cave is lower than the other and scientists think that traps cold air, which keeps the cave icy even during the summer. The Guler Ice Cave is located near the community of Trout Lake.
    GulerIceCave_8450.jpg
  • Thousands of icicles, including some that stretch from floor to ceiling, form in the Guler Ice Cave near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave is a partially collapsed lava tube formed during an eruption of Mount Adams during the past 20,000 years. One end of the cave is lower than the other and scientists think that traps cold air, which keeps the cave icy even during the summer. The Guler Ice Cave is located near the community of Trout Lake.
    GulerIceCave_8406.jpg
  • LeaningTreeCratersMoon.jpg
  • CratersMoonSplatterSunburst.jpg
  • A pseudocrater is rendered in silhouette against a volanic cone at sunset in Mývatn in northern Iceland. Mývatn is a lake that was formed approximately 2,300 years ago during a volanic period. The shorter hill is a pseudocrater, also known as a rootless vent. While it resembles a volcanic cinder cone, it formed through a different process. As basaltic lava flowed over soggy lake sediments, it flash heated the moisture into vapor, causing it to blast through the lava. Mývatn means lake with midge flies; the lake is infested with them during the summer months.
    Iceland_Myvatn_Pseudocrater-Silhouet...jpg
  • The northern lights, or aurora borealis, shine over and are reflect in Lake Mývatn  in northern Iceland. The lake, formed during a lava eruption 2,300 years ago, contains numerous lava pillars and rootless vents, called pseudocraters. Mývatn is Icelandic for "midge lake," and denotes the tremendous number of midge flies found in the area. The aurora borealis, frequently visible during the winter months in Iceland, is caused by charged particles from the sun crashing into the Earth's atmosphere.
    Iceland_Myvatn_NorthernLights_2983.jpg
  • The sunset colors the clouds above Bláfjall, a 1222 meter (4009 foot) table volcano in northern Iceland. Bláfjall formed as a result of an eruption under a thick sheet of ice during the last ice age. Lava forced and melted its way up through the ice and formed a strong shield of lava on the mountain's summit. That strong layer resists erosion, giving the mountain its rectangular shape.
    Iceland_Blafjall_3928.jpg
  • A pseudocrater is rendered in silhouette against a volanic cone at sunset in Mývatn in northern Iceland. Mývatn is a lake that was formed approximately 2,300 years ago during a volanic period. The shorter hill is a pseudocrater, also known as a rootless vent. While it resembles a volcanic cinder cone, it formed through a different process. As basaltic lava flowed over soggy lake sediments, it flash heated the moisture into vapor, causing it to blast through the lava. Mývatn means lake with midge flies; the lake is infested with them during the summer months.
    Iceland_Myvatn_Pseudocrater-Silhouet...jpg
  • Fresh snow coats the summits of the peaks at Landmannalaugar, located in the highlands of Iceland. Landmannalaugar, part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, sits at the edge of the Laugahraun lava field, which was formed in an eruption around the year 1477.
    Iceland_Landmannalaugar_2640.jpg
  • A large kiawe (Prosopis pallida) tree frames of the southwestern coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui near the town of Makena. The first kiawe tree was introduced to Hawaii in 1828 and is now one of the most common trees in the dry lowlands of the Hawaiian islands. The prominent hill visible just to the right of the center of this image if Pu`u Ola`i, a 320-foot (98-meter) cinder cone formed when molten lava erupted from a volcanic vent and fell back to earth forming a nearly perfect cone. Pu`u Ola`i is also known as Earthquake Hill, Red Hill, and Round Mountain.
    Maui_Makena_Kiawe_PuuOlai_6384.jpg
  • Haystack Rock is bathed in golden evening light as Pacific Ocean waves crash ashore at Chapman Beach near Cannon Beach, Oregon. Haystack Rock is a 235-foot (72-meter) sea stack, the third largest in the world. It was formed about 15 million years ago from basalt lava flows emanating from the Blue Mountains and Columbia basin.
    OR_Cannon-Beach_Haystack-Rock_Evenin...jpg
  • The setting sun seems to be balanced on one of the Sea Lion Rocks, a series of sea stacks off the northern Oregon coast. The rocks were formed by ancient lava flows, which have since been eroded by constant pounding from Pacific Ocean waves. These sea stacks are located near Ecola State Park, north of Cannon Beach, Oregon.
    OR_Sea-Lion-Rocks_Sunset_6821.jpg
  • Vibrant fall color is visible from behind South Silver Falls, Oregon. The hillsides in the area of Silver Falls State Park were formed by a series of lava flows, which erode at different rates. Several of the middle layers are weaker than the top and bottom layers and have since eroded away, forming this cave behind the waterfall.
    SilverFallsBehindAutumn.jpg
  • A young family walks on the beach near Haystack Rock, Oregon, in thick fog. Haystack Rock, remnants of an ancient lava flow, is one of the world's largest monoliths.
    HaystackFogFamily.jpg
  • Gulls forage at the edge of the Pacific Ocean as Haystack Rock stands tall in the background in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Haystack Rock is a 235-foot (72-meter) sea stack, the third largest in the world. It was formed about 15 million years ago from basalt lava flows emanating from the Blue Mountains and Columbia basin.
    OR_Cannon-Beach_Haystack-Rock_Gulls_...jpg
  • Black, feral goats (Capra hircus) feed in a grassy cliff on the Big Island of Hawai`i. The goats, found near steep cliffs and lava fields, are descendants of Spanish goats were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1700s by explorer George Vancouver. They have put other animal populations, including the endangered palila bird, in jeopardy.
    HI_Black-Goats_8428.jpg
  • A large kiawe (Prosopis pallida) tree frames of the southwestern coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui near the town of Makena. The first kiawe tree was introduced to Hawaii in 1828 and is now one of the most common trees in the dry lowlands of the Hawaiian islands. The prominent hill visible just to the right of the center of this image if Pu`u Ola`i, a 320-foot (98-meter) cinder cone formed when molten lava erupted from a volcanic vent and fell back to earth forming a nearly perfect cone. Pu`u Ola`i is also known as Earthquake Hill, Red Hill, and Round Mountain.
    Maui_Makena_Kiawe_PuuOlai_6412.jpg
  • A towering columnar basalt cliff is partially reflected in the waters of Breiðasund in the town of Stykkishólmur, Iceland. Columnar basalt is a volcanic rock formed when basalt lava rapidly cools at or very near the Earth's surface. Basalt, which is naturally grey or black, is rich in iron and can rapidly rust, taking on a reddish-brown appearance.
    Iceland_ColumnarBasalt_Stykkisholmur...jpg
  • Red rock lines a large volcanic crater, one of many in an area known as Diamond Craters in southeastern Oregon. The area contains dozens of basaltic lava flows, cinder cones, and maars ranging in age from 6,000 to 60,000 years old.
    OR_DiamondCraters_3438.jpg
  • The setting sun seems to be balanced on one of "nose" of one of the Sea Lion Rocks, a series of sea stacks off the northern Oregon coast. The rocks were formed by ancient lava flows, which have since been eroded by constant pounding from Pacific Ocean waves. These sea stacks are located near Ecola State Park, north of Cannon Beach, Oregon.
    SeaLionRocksSunset.jpg
  • The last light of day illuminates Snæfellsjökull, a 1,446 meter (4,744 foot) stratovolcano located in western Iceland. The volcano, which is active, last erupted approximately 1,800 years ago, creating lava fields at its base. The mountain is technically named Snæfell; Snæfellsjökull is the name of the glacier at its peak. It is commonly called Snæfellsjökull, however, to avoid confusing it with several other mountains with the same name. Snæfellsjökull means "snow glacier mountain," and it was featured in the 1864 novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne.
    Iceland_SnaefellPano_9643-5.jpg
  • A young girl looks at her own reflection while playing in a small tidal creek near Haystack Rock on the Oregon Coast. Thick morning fog blocks the view of the base of Haystack Rock, one of the largest monoliths in the world. Haystack Rock, near Cannon Beach, Oregon, is made of remnants of ancient lava flows.
    HaystackRockChild.jpg
  • The western face of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon, is bathed in the golden light of the evening sun. Haystack Rock is a 235-foot (72-meter) sea stack, the third largest in the world. It was formed about 15 million years ago from basalt lava flows emanating from the Blue Mountains and Columbia basin.
    OR_Cannon-Beach_Haystack-Rock_Evenin...jpg
  • The water in Horsetail Fall, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) waterfall, appears like lava at sunset as it pours over the granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. The dramatic lighting effect, which has been called a "firefall," appears in mid-to-late February if the weather conditions are just right.
    Yosemite_Horsetail-Fall_Sunset_8929.jpg
  • A narrow band of cirrus clouds turn pink at sunrise high in the sky over Haystack Rock, a prominent sea stack on the Oregon coast at Cannon Beach. Haystack Rock is composed of basalt and was formed about 15 million years ago from lava flows emanating from the Blue Mountains and Columbia basin.
    HaystackRock_Pastel-Sunrise_Cannon-B...jpg
  • Horsetail Fall, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) waterfall, appears like lava at sunset as it pours over the granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. The dramatic lighting effect, which has been called a "firefall," appears in mid-to-late February if the weather conditions are just right.
    Yosemite_Horsetail-Fall_Sunset_8940.jpg
  • Black, feral goats (Capra hircus) climb a grassy cliff on the Big Island of Hawai`i. The goats, found near steep cliffs and lava fields, are descendants of Spanish goats were introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1700s by explorer George Vancouver. They have put other animal populations, including the endangered palila bird, in jeopardy.
    HI_Black-Goats_8466.jpg
  • A towering columnar basalt cliff is partially reflected in the waters of Breiðasund in the town of Stykkishólmur, Iceland. Columnar basalt is a volcanic rock formed when basalt lava rapidly cools at or very near the Earth's surface. Basalt, which is naturally grey or black, is rich in iron and can rapidly rust, taking on a reddish-brown appearance.
    Iceland_ColumnarBasalt_Stykkisholmur...jpg
  • Rock cairns mark the site of an ancient Icelandic farm destroyed in the first recorded eruption of the volcano Katla. The large farm, known as Laufskálar, was destroyed in the 894 eruption. A lava mound was named Laufskálar Cairn after the farm. Travelers passing through the Mýrdalssandur area of Iceland for the first time are supposed to add a stone to the cairn to bring them good luck on their journey.
    Iceland_Laufskálavarða_7312.jpg
  • The horseshoe-shaped crater of Mount St. Helens is visible in this aerial view of the Washington state volcano. During the May 18, 1980 eruption, the north face of the volcano collapsed. Since then, new lava domes have formed in the crater and are visible here. Mount St. Helens now stands ‎8,363 feet (2,549 meters), losing about 13 percent of its summit in the 1980 eruption. It is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range during the Holocene epoch (past 10,000 years).
    MountStHelens_Crater_Aerial-View_Alp...jpg
  • A crack runs through rhyolite lava in the Inyo National Forest near Mammoth Mountain, California. The crack is part of a feature known as the Mammoth Earthquake Fault, but it's technically an earthquake fissure, resulting from an earthquake that occurred before 1850.
    CA_Mammoth_Earthquake-Fissure_0880.jpg
  • The setting sun seems to be balanced on one of the Sea Lion Rocks, a series of sea stacks off the northern Oregon coast. The rocks were formed by ancient lava flows, which have since been eroded by constant pounding from Pacific Ocean waves. These sea stacks are located near Ecola State Park, north of Cannon Beach, Oregon.
    OR_Sea-Lion-Rocks_Sunset_6829.jpg
  • Horsetail Fall, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) waterfall, appears like lava at sunset as it pours over the granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. The dramatic lighting effect, which has been called a "firefall," appears in mid-to-late February if the weather conditions are just right.
    Yosemite_Horsetail-Fall_Sunset_9663.jpg
  • Two bright Perseid meteors streak across the night sky above Table Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington state. The Perseids are an annual meteor shower that occurs in August when Earth passes through the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The meteors are comet debris burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. Table Mountain is a 5,742-foot (1,750-meter) peak that is comprised of an ancient, thick lava flow that pre-dates flows from the neighboring active volcano, Mount Baker.
    Table-Mountain_Perseid-Meteor_1093.jpg
  • Steam rises from a volcanic cone at Landmannalaugar, located in the highlands of Iceland. Landmannalaugar, part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, sits at the edge of the Laugahraun lava field, which was formed in an eruption around the year 1477.
    Iceland_Landmannalaugar_SteamingCone...jpg
  • A band of altocumulus clouds, partially illuminated by city lights, pass over rugged cliffs that are remnants of ancient lava flows in Columbia National Wildlife Refuge near Othello, Washington.
    WA_Columbia-NWR_Night-Clouds_9837.jpg
  • Two hikers stand near the summit of a steaming volcanic cone at Landmannalaugar, located in the highlands of Iceland. Landmannalaugar, part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, sits at the edge of the Laugahraun lava field, which was formed in an eruption around the year 1477.
    Iceland_Landmannalaugar_Hikers_Steam...jpg
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