Geology in Nevada

This dry lake bed was once an emergency landing strip for military and experimental aircraft.

A spectacular slot canyon at the northern edge of Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

The original building of a mining school endowed by one of the barons of the Comstock Lode now houses a museum of earth science and mining history.

Red ocher pictographs survive in this tufa rock shelter on the shore of an ancient lake.

One of the best places to dig—some say on the planet—for six different types of chalcedony.

Red rock "fangs" jut out of the desert near the Extraterrestrial Highway.

The only United States mine for magnesium carbonate has been operating continuously since the 1930s.

A large, remote national monument highlights the typical geologic structure seen in Nevada.

An unusual waterfall in the Santa Rosa Range, within the Great Basin of Nevada.

Despite the name, it's unclear if this small depression in northern Nye County was actually caused by falling space debris.

Colorful outcrops and cliffs just north of Reno provide a scenic backdrop for hiking and mountain biking.

Harder layers in colorful sandstone weather out as prominent “fins" and even more intricate and bizarre shapes.

The strongest earthquake in Nevada's recorded history left these spectacular breaks along the west front of a range in central Nevada.

A remote, little-known natural arch in granite in the desert of northwestern Nevada.

Drive up a paved road into "Nevada's Yosemite" for exquisite views and mountain hiking in an alpine setting.

Two craters, which probably erupted within the last 1,500 years and are now filled by alkaline lakes, represent Nevada's youngest known volcanic activity.