Collection 4:130 original digital photos from the Valley of Fire, Mojave Desert, Nevada.

Breathtaking land and rock scapes plus a few desert plants and blooms.

The Valley of Fire is located on the old Arrowhead Trail, between Lake Mead and Interstate 15, Nevada. It lays claim to being Nevada's 1st National State Park.

Between 200 million and 600 million years ago this area was repeatedly invaded and re-invaded by the sea. The high gray ridge, the Muddy Mountains, seen in some of the photos are limestones and dolomites made up of the many plants creatures that inhabited this sea. Between 66 million and 200 million years ago, red sandstone was laid down, after which the sea finally retreated for the last time.

The Pacific Plate, sliding eastwards under the North American Plate, about 60 to 70 million years ago, caused an upthrusting of the grey limestones, over the red sandstone, to form the Muddy Mountains. Where the red sandstone was left exposed, the forces of nature have eroded it into the shapes seen in the photos.


1. Rockscape.

2. Rockscape.

3. Rockscape.

4. Rockscape.

5. Rockscape.

6. Rockscape.

7. Natural rock arch.

8. Closer view of natural rock arch.

9. View from behind (centre picture).

10. Rockscape.

11. Better rear view (cropped).

12. Rockscape.

13. Rockscape.

14. Petroglyphs, or rock art of the ancient Indians that once live here - an early form of communication.

15. Desert Mallow plant, a perennial found in the east Mojave desert.

16. Atlatl Rock, named after the depiction of an Atlatl, a throwing stick used by ancient tribesmen to give more force to their spears - it has a hook cut in one end which is placed over the end of the spear to enable the thrower to impart greater effort to the spear. Whilst the Atlatl Rock is adorned with a great many petroglyphs, that of an Atlatl is not obvious.

17. Rockscape.

18. Petroglyphs on the Atlatl Rock. Unfortunately, the rock is now also adorned with a viewing platform for the benefit of visitors.

19. Petroglyphs.

20. Petroglyphs.

21. Landscape.

22. Petroglyphs.

23. Petroglyphs.

24. Petroglyphs.

25. Petroglyphs.

26. Another view of the Atlatl Rock.

27. Petroglyphs.

28. Petroglyphs.

29. Petroglyphs.

30. Tufted Evening Primrose.

31. Dune Evening Primrose.

32. Petroglyphs.

33. Desert Mallow plant.

34. Paper Bag Bush, so called because the seed pods are not unlike small brown paper bags.

35. Dune Evening Primroses.

36. Sagebrush. This stuff is the reason that cowboys wore leather chaps - it would rip their legs to pieces otherwise.

37. Sagebrush.

38. Creosote bush. This is what the US gets timber preserving fluid from - not the same as UK creosote, which is distilled from the roots of Beech trees. It also smells different.

39. Rockscape and wind holes.

40. Hedgehog Cactus.

41. Rockscape.

42. Rockscape.

43. Brittle Bush, also known as the Incense Plant on account of the gummy substance on its brittle stems (cropped).

44. Rockscape.

45. Rockscape.

46. Desert Tea. Although apparently a plant without leaves, it does have very small leaves. The plant stems, when dried, can be used make a tea-like brew. Also sometimes called Mormon Tea because of its popularity with early Utah settlers.

47. Indigo bush.

48. Unable to identify. Free copy of the
CD to the first person that can identify it!

49. Barrel Cactus, often called the Compass Cactus because it tends to lean toward the most intense source of light. It is also a typical 'survival' plant because it can be cut open to obtain the moisture inside.

50. Wind holes. The soft sandstone, constantly at the mercy of wind and rain, initially develops small holes, which are further enlarged by the action of wind and rain. As moisture dissolves the salts binding the sandstone grains together, then wind whirls these loosened sand grains around, literally sandblasting the holes. Some are large enough for a small family to live in!.

51. Wind holes.

52. Wind holes.

53. Wind holes.

54. Rockscape (cropped).

55. Rockscape.

56. Wind holes.

57. Rockscape.

58. Rockscape.

59. Rockscape.

60. Rockscape.

61. Rockscape.

62. Petroglyphs.

63. Petroglyphs.

64. Petroglyphs.

65. Petroglyphs.

66. Elephant Rock.

67. Elephant Rock.

68. Muddy Mountains (background), sandstone (foreground).

69. Rockscape.

70. Rockscape.

71. Rockscape.

72. Rockscape.

73. Rockscape.

74. Mojave Indigo Bush.

75. Wind holes.

76. Wind holes.

77. Wind holes.

78. Wind holes.

79. Wind holes.

80. Wind holes.

81. Rockscape.

82. Rockscape.

83. Seven Sisters, so called because there are seven of the fascinating rock formations. Unfortunately it was impossible to get far enough away to get all seven in one photo. Hence a number of different photos are included to try and show the overall impression.

84. Seven Sisters.

85. Seven Sisters.

86. Seven Sisters.

87. Seven Sisters.

88. Seven Sisters.

89. Seven Sisters.

90. Seven Sisters.

91. Seven Sisters.

92. Seven Sisters.

93. Seven Sisters.

94. Seven Sisters.

95. Seven Sisters.

96. Rockscape.

97. Rockscape.

98. Just waiting to topple!

99. Rockscape.

100. Rainbow Vista, 150 million years of wind and rain erosion of sand deposited at a time when dinosaurs walked the Earth.

101. Rainbow Vista.

102. Rainbow Vista.

103. Rainbow Vista.

104. Rainbow Vista.

105. Rainbow Vista.

106. Desert Marigold.

107. Rockscape.

108. Rockscape.

109. Rockscape.

110. Rockscape.

111. Rockscape.

112. Muddy Mountains in background.

113. Muddy Mountains.

114. Rockscape.

115. Rockscape.

116. Rockscape.

117. Rockscape.

118. Rockscape.

119. Rockscape.

120. Rockscape.

121. Beehives, sand deposits subjected to relentless attack by wind, rain, heat and cold creating these beehive like shapes.

122. Beehives.

123. Beehives.

124. Beehives.

125. Beehives.

126. Beehives.

127. Beehives.

128. Beehives.

129. Beehives.

130. Beehives.

These photos are all JPEG images, digitally originated at 2048 x 1536 pixels, using a Fuji Finepix S602 Zoom digital camera. Some have been cropped to remove identifiable people and man-made objects.

This collection, plus the narrative, is offered for sale, on CD, for private use only, at £14.99. You are not allowed to resell it, or the images it contains!

To purchase this collection click

Solution Graphics

For commercial use, or for resale, individual photos are available at commercial rates - please contact us at office@mediapipe.uk.com

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