Snow covering the Painted Hills of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon
© Floris van Breugel/Minden Picture
The painted hills of prehistory. There’s treasure in them thar hills
This wintry view comes from Oregon’s Painted Hills, part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and home to one of the most complete fossil records on the planet. Paleontologists have uncovered fossils here that date as far back as 44 million years ago, when this region had a hot, wet, subtropical climate, home to crocodiles and rhino-like plant eaters. And what’s above ground here is equally impressive. This is only a glimpse of the portion of the monument called the Painted Hills, named for its vivid colors that are a result of layers of sediment from various geologic periods.
Related Images
Thousands of jack fish swimming together at Cabo Pulmo National Park, Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico
Aerial view of the Grotta della Poesia (Poetry's Cave) near Roca, Lecce, Italy
'The Spirit of Harlem' mural by Louis Delsarte in Harlem, New York City
Aerial view of tidal channels in marshland of the Mockhorn Island State Wildlife Management Area, Virginia
Mississippi River on the border between Arkansas and Mississippi
Willow tree in early spring, Minnesota
Mineral-laden water in the Rio Tinto, Minas de Riotinto mining area, Huelva province, Andalusia, Spain
Ocean waves crashing over a heart-shaped rock island off the coast of Sydney, Australia
Today Bing
Close-up of a microchip
Dec 09, 2019
Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy
Dec 09, 2017
