Artist's Pallet
My first stop is at Artist's pallet. Looking at these deposits, a number of colors are visible. I would want to know what minerals cause the color variations. I suspect that a number of salts and minerals are deposited by rains and flash flooding, but I can't know for sure what causes the coloration without studying the composition up close. It is interesting that these bright colors are at the base of a hill, which leads me to think that the water brings minerals from above down to mix at the base. I wonder why the colors aren't more prevalent at the top of the mountain if that's where the minerals come from.
Golden Canyon
Here at Golden Canyon we can clearly see stratified rock. I am curious as to if this rock was weathered by a stream in the area and if the stream is still present. There are obvious color variation between the strata near the top and strata at the bottom. I wonder what type of rock is near the base and why it is different from the rock near the top.
Mosaic Canyon
Here we see brightly colored, sharp rocks deposited among a sandy grey silt. I wonder how these sharp rocks got here, because most traveling rocks become more rounded by impacts over time. I also would like to know why they are so different from the surrounding silt, in order to explain the differences in color.
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