Volcanic Watercolors

Subtle gradations of color flow across the volcanic landscape

This perspective reveals the subtle watercolor-like gradations that make the Painted Dunes so visually striking, where colors blend and flow into each other like pigments on an artist's canvas. The gentle slopes and rolling terrain result from the way volcanic cinders settled and were subsequently modified by wind and rare precipitation events. The almost extraterrestrial appearance of this landscape has made it a popular location for scientific studies of how life might adapt to harsh volcanic environments.