Photographer: Ottone Scammacca

Summary Author: Ottone Scammacca

The photo above shows the colorful landscape of Zhangye Danxia Geopark, in the Gansu province of north-central China. The stunning red color of the sandstones that make these badlands result largely from iron oxides. Sometimes referred to as a pseudokarst landform it's underlain not by limestone but by predominantly Cretaceous aged sandstone and conglomerate. Wind transport of sand and other sediments produced the remarkable stratification. The different colors illustrate both the range of mineral properties of the sediments as well as their different origins. Photo taken on August 9, 2015.

Photo Details: Camera Maker: Apple; Camera Model: iPhone 5c; Focal Length: 4.12mm (35mm equivalent: 33mm); Aperture: ƒ/2.4; Exposure Time: 0.0014 s (1/695); ISO equiv: 50; Software: PicMonkey.