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  • Molten pahoehoe lava flows at the end of a lava tube in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Pahoehoe is the hottest – and most liquid – form of basaltic lava. This ropy pahoehoe results with the thin crust partially solidifies. Lava continues to flow behind it, pushing and folding it, not unlike an accordion.
    HI_Volcanoes_Pahoehoe_8679.jpg
  • A giant stack of lenticular clouds forms near the summit of Mount Rainier in Washington state in the golden light of sunset. Lenticular clouds form when moist air is forced up and over mountains or other large obstructions. The moist air condenses and becomes a visible cloud as it rises. While lenticular clouds can hover directly over mountain peaks, they can form some distance away from the summit when the winds are strong. Mount Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington state and the highest volcano in the Cascade Range.
    Rainier_Lenticular_Sunset_Sky-Island...jpg
  • A large lenticular cloud forms near Mount Rainier in Washington state. Lenticular clouds form near mountains. Moist air is forced up and over the mountain and it cools and condenses into a cloud as it rises. Strong winds shape the cloud, which can form several miles away from the mountain that disturbed the path of the air.
    LenticularCloud_5690.jpg
  • Colorful rocks form the bottom of Yosemite Creek, located in Yosemite National Park, California. The rocks are rendered in abstract form due to the distortion caused by the water flowing over them.
    Yosemite_YosemiteCreek_Rocks_1092.jpg
  • A mammoth lenticular cloud nearly dwarfs Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain in Washington and the highest volcano in the Cascade Range. Lenticular clouds form when moist air is forced up and over mountains or other large obstructions. The moist air condenses and becomes a visible cloud as it rises. While lenticular clouds can hover directly over mountain peaks, they can form some distance away from the summit when the winds are strong.
    Rainier_Lenticular_BW_5711.jpg
  • An osprey (Pandion haliaetus) takes off with a scrap of food from a tufa in Mono Lake, California. Tufa are limestone columnns that form naturally due to a chemical reaction in the lake. They form underwater and were exposed when the lake level dropped.
    Osprey_MonoLake_Tufa_0867.jpg
  • Several tufa columns are turned golden by the rising sun at Mono Lake, California. Tufa forms only underwater. When calcium-rich springs flow up through the lake bottom, the calcium bonds to the carbonates in the lake water, forming calcium carbonate, a type of limestone. The solid material builds on itself, gradually forming a tufa tower. The tufa towers form only underwater; they were exposed when the lake was drained to provide drinking water for cities. After environmental groups took legal action, less water is being diverted for cities and the lake is slowly refilling.
    CA_MonoLake_Tufas_Golden_9336.jpg
  • Vibrant God beams, called crepuscular rays, form over Cathedral Rock, a towering mountain near Sedona, Arizona. The beams form when the sun shines into fog or mist. The columns at the summit of Cathedral Rock cast three-dimensional shadows between the rays.
    CathedralRocksAZ.jpg
  • New leaves form on a Youth on Age (Tolmiea menziesii) plant. The plant is named for the fact that new leaves — and sometimes new plants — form at the base of old leaves. It is also known by the names Piggyback Plant and Thousand Mothers.
    YouthOnAge_0500.jpg
  • New leaves form on a Youth on Age (Tolmiea menziesii) plant. The plant is named for the fact that new leaves — and sometimes new plants — form at the base of old leaves. It is also known by the names Piggyback Plant and Thousand Mothers.
    YouthOnAge_0496.jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are found on a bluff in the Grand staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_HarrisWashUtah_4183.jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in a sandstone pothole in the Grand Staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_Pothole_HarrisWashUt...jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in a small crack in the Grand staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_HarrisWashUtah_4194.jpg
  • Iron concretions are found on a bluff in the Grand staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_HarrisWashUtah_4193.jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in cracks in the Grand staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_HarrisWashUtah_4202.jpg
  • Crepuscular Rays, also known as god beams, form over the Atlantic Ocean and a large sea arch called Manneporte in the late afternoon in Étretat, France. Manneporte is the largest of the three natural sea arches that have formed in the white chalk cliffs, known as the Falaise d'Étretat, which are as tall as 90 meters (300 feet).
    Etretat_Manneporte_Crepuscular-Rays_...jpg
  • A hole-punch cloud is typically formed when an airplane passes through altocumulus clouds. Altocumulus clouds are made up of small, super cooled water droplets. When aircraft pass through these clouds, the rapid pressure changes they cause can cool the air further. That, in turn, causes the water droplets to form heavy ice crystals, which then drop from the sky, leaving behind a "hole punch." This hole-punch cloud was observed in Thurston County, Washington. Hole-punch clouds are also sometimes called sky-punch clouds.
    Cloud_HolePunch_1831.jpg
  • Dramatic limestone curtains form the ceiling of the Ruakuri Cave, located in Waitomo, New Zealand. These limestone curtains are a type of stalactite. Water drips from above, disolving limestone. Where the water evaporates, the limestone is left behind. The limestone curtains are formed along a line where water drips from several places.
    NZ_RuakuriCaveCurtains_1508.jpg
  • Thousands of icicles, including some that stretch from floor to ceiling, form in the Guler Ice Cave near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave is a partially collapsed lava tube formed during an eruption of Mount Adams during the past 20,000 years. One end of the cave is lower than the other and scientists think that traps cold air, which keeps the cave icy even during the summer. The Guler Ice Cave is located near the community of Trout Lake.
    GulerIceCave_8450.jpg
  • Thick fog covers a high mountain valley beneath Mount Shuksan, a 9,127-foot (2,782-meter) peak located in the North Cascades National Park in Washington state. Valley fog, which is a type of radiation fog, can be incredible dense. It forms when air along ridgetops and mountain slopes cools after sunset. The air then becomes dense and sinks into the valley below where it continues to cool and becomes saturated, causing fog to form. Shuksan is derived from a Skagit Indian word meaning "rocky and precipitous."
    Shuksan_ValleyFog_0716.jpg
  • Thick fog covers a high mountain valley that reaches up to Mount Baker, a 10,781 foot (3,286 meter) volcano located in the North Cascades of Washington state. Valley fog, which is a type of radiation fog, can be incredible dense. It forms when air along ridgetops and mountain slopes cools after sunset. The air then becomes dense and sinks into the valley below where it continues to cool and becomes saturated, causing fog to form.
    Baker_ValleyFog_ArtistPoint_0776.jpg
  • Delicate stalactites, called soda straws, hang from the ceiling of the Painted Grotto in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Soda straws develop where water droplets hang from the ceiling. Initially, a calcite ring forms on the ceiling. Calcite deposits continue to accumulate on the initial ring, and the straw grows longer as the deposits build up. If enough calcite deposits build up, the soda straws can develop into large stalactites. Calcite is a colorless mineral in its pure form. The presence of other minerals causes the stalactites in the cavern to take on yellow, orange, red, or brown coloration.
    CarlsbadCaverns_PaintedGrotto_1205.jpg
  • Thousands of icicles, including some that stretch from floor to ceiling, form in the Guler Ice Cave near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave is a partially collapsed lava tube formed during an eruption of Mount Adams during the past 20,000 years. One end of the cave is lower than the other and scientists think that traps cold air, which keeps the cave icy even during the summer. The Guler Ice Cave is located near the community of Trout Lake.
    GulerIceCave_8406.jpg
  • Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus var. consimilis) grows under a fiery sunrise at the edge of Mono Lake in Mono County, California. Mono Lake has no outlet, so salt accumulates and makes the water alkeline. Limestone columns called tufa towers are visible in the lake. Tufa towers form under water. They were exposed when Los Angeles diverted some of the fresh water that feeds the lake, causing the lake level to drop.
    Mono-Lake_Rabbitbrush_Sunrise_0748.jpg
  • A series of cumulus clouds develop and grow as the sun sets over Snohomish County, Washington. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin, and the clouds typically form where warm air rises and reaches a level of cold air where the moisure in the air condenses.
    Clouds_Cumulus_Developing_Sunset_551...jpg
  • Dramatic ice sculptures form in the Guler Ice Cave, a partially collapsed lava tube near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave, located near the community of Trout Lake, features thousands of icicles and other ice formations. One end of the lava tube is lower than the other, which scientists believes traps cold air in the lava tube year round.
    GulerIceCave_8446.jpg
  • A dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) rests on the branch of a cherry tree, surrounded by new leaves and blossoms. This dark-eyed junco is of the "Oregon" form, a coloration that's common in western North America.
    Junco_Dark-Eyed_Cherry-Tree_Spring_4...jpg
  • As the sun nearly breaks through the clouds just before sunset, dramatic beams, called crepuscular rays, form over a ferry crossing Puget Sound.
    Ferry_Puget-Sound_Sunset_4290.jpg
  • The crescent moon and the planets Venus (bottom) and Mars form a conjunction in the sky just after sunset on February 20, 2015.
    Moon_Venus_Mars_5970.jpg
  • An Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) shows off the iridescent feathers on its head and back while resting on the branch of a rhododenron in Snohomish County, Washington. All hummingbirds have iridescent plumage, which reflects certain wavelengths of light. Several features of the feathers result in the iridescence. Barbules, which are flat in most birds, are angled to form a V shape in hummingbirds. Also, the surface of the barbules is covered with microscopic discs containing tiny air bubbles that amplify certain colors of light and cancel out others.
    Hummingbird_Annas_Branch_8179.jpg
  • The dunes in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, make up the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite.
    NM_WhiteSands_DuneField_1280.jpg
  • Large icicles form on a steep wall near Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington after several days of subfreezing temperatures. During periods of extreme cold, mist from the waterfall freezes to the canyon walls.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5670.jpg
  • Large icicles form on a steep wall near Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington after several days of subfreezing temperatures. During periods of extreme cold, mist from the waterfall freezes to the canyon walls. The Snoqualmie River is visible flowing across the bottom of the image.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5661.jpg
  • A Yellow-Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) rests on rocks along the rim of Crater Lake, Oregon. Yellow-Bellied Marmots form dens in large boulders and hibernate through the late fall and winter.
    Marmot_YellowBellied_CraterLake_0113.jpg
  • Baring Creek flows through a very narrow gorge, called Sunrift Gorge, in Glacier National Park, Montana. The gorge has very smooth, straight sides because it eroded along vertical fractures in the rock known as joints. Sunrift Gorge began to form after large Pleistocene glaciers began to retreat from that area and with a maximum cut down rate of 0.003 inch per year, this gorge is the result of several millions of years of erosion.
    Glacier_SunriftGorge_0812.jpg
  • Numerous bracken ferns (Pteridium aquilinum) form a forest carpet beneath the grand fir (Abies grandis) trees in the Bloedel Reserve on Brainbridge Island, Washington.
    BrackenFerns_Forest_Bloedel_2457.jpg
  • Dramatic ice sculptures form in the Guler Ice Cave, a partially collapsed lava tube near Mount Adams, Washington. The cave, located near the community of Trout Lake, features thousands of icicles and other ice formations. One end of the lava tube is lower than the other, which scientists believes traps cold air in the lava tube year round.
    GulerIceCave_8421.jpg
  • Hundreds of tall sand dunes form at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Strong winds blow the sand from as much as 65 miles (105 km) away. These mountains block the wind's path, causing the sand to pile up in dunes.
    GreatSandDunes_2215.jpg
  • Pacific Ocean waves crash up against the one remaining arch in Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, California. There used to be three arches. Arches form when waves continually pound a weak spot in the rock, wearing a hole through it. Over time, continued erosion enlarges the hole so much that the overlying rock can no longer be supported and the arch collapses.
    CA_NaturalBridge_SantaCruz_0354.jpg
  • Branches of an overgrown elm tree in Snohomish County, Washington, form tight patterns as they crisscross the frame.
    Elm_Crisscross-Contrast_Lynnwood_769...jpg
  • New leaves begin to form in early spring on an alder tree (Alnus rubra) in Snohomish County, Washington.
    Alder_Branch_New-Leaves_6434.jpg
  • The curved walls of Rattlesnake Canyon join to form abstract patterns on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona. Rattlesnake Canyon is a slot canyon — a narrow sandstone canyon that's carved by flash floods.
    AZ_Rattlesnake-Canyon_Curved-Walls_6...jpg
  • An Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) shows off the iridescent feathers on its head and back while resting on the branch of a rhododenron in Snohomish County, Washington. All hummingbirds have iridescent plumage, which reflects certain wavelengths of light. Several features of the feathers result in the iridescence. Barbules, which are flat in most birds, are angled to form a V shape in hummingbirds. Also, the surface of the barbules is covered with microscopic discs containing tiny air bubbles that amplify certain colors of light and cancel out others.
    Hummingbird_Annas_Branch_8200.jpg
  • A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1299.jpg
  • Large icicles form on a steep wall near Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington after several days of subfreezing temperatures. During periods of extreme cold, mist from the waterfall freezes to the canyon walls.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5541.jpg
  • A male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) lands on a maple tree that is beginning to leaf out. Males in the Calypte genus of hummingbirds are quite distinctive with iridescent crowns. All hummingbirds, however, have iridescent plumage, which reflects certain wavelengths of light and reflects them directly in front of the bird. The bright flashes of color are visible only when the bird is facing you. Several features of the feathers result in the iridescence. Barbules, which are flat in most birds, are angled to form a V shape in hummingbirds. Also, the surface of the barbules is covered with microscopic discs containing tiny air bubbles that amplify certain colors of light and cancel out others.
    Hummingbird_Annas_Iridescence_Landin...jpg
  • A male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) rests in a tree. Males in the Calypte genus of hummingbirds are quite distinctive with iridescent crowns. All hummingbirds, however, have iridescent plumage, which reflects certain wavelengths of light and reflects them directly in front of the bird. The bright flashes of color are visible only when the bird is facing you. Several features of the feathers result in the iridescence. Barbules, which are flat in most birds, are angled to form a V shape in hummingbirds. Also, the surface of the barbules is covered with microscopic discs containing tiny air bubbles that amplify certain colors of light and cancel out others.
    Hummingbird_Annas_Iridescence_6710.jpg
  • A vibrant shaft of light illuminates a tumbleweed on the floor of Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon that was carved by violent flash floods. Beams of light form only when the sun is nearly overhead, lighting up the blowing sand that fills the canyon, which is dozens of feet deep. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    AntelopeCanyon_Beam_Tumbleweed_0493.jpg
  • Thick fog begins to form on the beach below Strawberry Hill, located on the Oregon coast south of Yachats.
    OR_StrawberryHill_Foggy_3063.jpg
  • Hundreds of tall sand dunes form at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Strong winds blow the sand from as much as 65 miles (105 km) away. These mountains block the wind's path, causing the sand to pile up in dunes.
    GreatSandDunes_Sunset_V_2268.jpg
  • Hundreds of tall sand dunes form at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Strong winds blow the sand from as much as 65 miles (105 km) away. These mountains block the wind's path, causing the sand to pile up in dunes.
    GreatSandDunes_Sunset_H_2273.jpg
  • Crepuscular rays form as the late afternoon shines through holes in the clouds over Puerto Real off the coast of Esperanza on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.
    Crepuscular-Rays_Caribbean_Vieques_8...jpg
  • A patch of lily pads seems to form a circle around the reflection of the trees lining Kendall Lake in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio.
    OH_Cuyahoga-Valley-NP_Kendall-Lake_L...jpg
  • A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1295.jpg
  • Large icicles form on a steep wall near Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington after several days of subfreezing temperatures. During periods of extreme cold, mist from the waterfall freezes to the canyon walls.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5578.jpg
  • An arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), displaying its white winter coat, looks out from behind a rock on the mossy hillside above Fossárvik in southeastern Iceland. The arctic fox is also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, though it displays its pure white form only in the winter months. Arctic foxes, found throughout the Arctic tundra, are small with a body length of less than 3 feet (85 cm). To survive in such a harsh environment, they have very deep fur and a rounded body shape, which minimizes the portion of their body that is exposed to the elements.
    Fox_Arctic_WinterCoat_MossyHillside_...jpg
  • Fog begins to form over the South Fork Skykomish River near Skykomish, Washington. The river is lined by maple trees that are beginning to show their fall colors.
    FallColor_SkykomishRiver_0405.jpg
  • A Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) rests on cattails in the Edmonds Marsh in Snohomish County, Washington. This Song Sparrow displays the Pacific Northwest coloration, which is darker than the eastern form.
    SongSparrow_EdmondsMarsh_9339.jpg
  • A large rock is balanced on a sandstone pillar in the Hartnet Draw of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Balanced rocks form when a layer of more durable rock sits atop a layer that is less resistant to erosion.
    CapitolReefBalancedRock.jpg
  • The curved walls of Rattlesnake Canyon join to form abstract patterns on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona. Rattlesnake Canyon is a slot canyon — a narrow sandstone canyon that's carved by flash floods.
    AZ_Rattlesnake-Canyon_Curved-Walls_6...jpg
  • A vibrant shaft of light shines like a spotlight on the floor of Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon that was carved by violent flash floods. Beams of light form only when the sun is nearly overhead, lighting up the blowing sand that fills the canyon, which is dozens of feet deep. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon-Beam_S2574-09.jpg
  • The white sand dunes of White Sand Dunes National Monument, New Mexico, appear blue and purple after sunset, reflecting the twilight sky. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_Fiery-Sunset_1036.jpg
  • A yucca plant grows on one of the white dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1266.jpg
  • Large icicles form in the mist from Snoqualmie Falls in Washington state after several days of subfreezing temperatures.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5693.jpg
  • Large icicles form on a steep wall near Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington after several days of subfreezing temperatures. During periods of extreme cold, mist from the waterfall freezes to the canyon walls.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5562.jpg
  • Large icicles form on a steep wall near Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington after several days of subfreezing temperatures. During periods of extreme cold, mist from the waterfall freezes to the canyon walls.
    Icicles_SnoqualmieFalls_5667.jpg
  • Ice patterns that look like frozen jellyfish form on the side of Horsetail Falls on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge after a week of below-freezing temperatures.
    OR_HorsetailFalls_IcePatterns_5002.jpg
  • A young arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) curls up to stay warm during a rainstorm near the summit of Thrihnukagigur, a volcano in southwestern Iceland. The arctic fox is also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, though it displays its pure white form only in the winter months. Arctic foxes, found throughout the Arctic tundra, are small with a body length of less than 3 feet (85 cm). To survive in such a harsh environment, they have very deep fur and a rounded body shape, which minimizes the portion of their body that is exposed to the elements.
    Fox_Arctic_Young_CurledUp_Iceland_28...jpg
  • An adult barred owl (Strix varia) cuddles with one of its owlets in its nest in Interlaken Park, Seattle, Washington. Barred owls typically nest in natural cavities that form in decaying trees.
    Owl_Barred_ParentOwletNest_Interlake...jpg
  • A male red-shafted northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) builds a nest in a snag in the Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, Washington. The red-shafted northern flicker, also known as the western flicker, is a type of woodpecker and builds its nest by hollowing out decaying trees. It removes most of the wood chips to form a cavity in the tree, but reserves some wood chips to insulate and cushion its eggs. Unlike other birds, it does not use anything other than the wood chips to build its nest.
    Flicker_Northern_BuildingNest_0034.jpg
  • Storm clouds, including cumulus congestus, form over Castle Rock in this view from Hug Point on the northern Oregon coast. Within an hour, these storm clouds produced heavy rain.
    OR_CastleRock_StormCloud_1248.jpg
  • A male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) lands on a maple tree on a rainy day. Males in the Calypte genus of hummingbirds are quite distinctive with iridescent crowns. All hummingbirds, however, have iridescent plumage, which reflects certain wavelengths of light and reflects them directly in front of the bird. The bright flashes of color are visible only when the bird is facing you. Several features of the feathers result in the iridescence. Barbules, which are flat in most birds, are angled to form a V shape in hummingbirds. Also, the surface of the barbules is covered with microscopic discs containing tiny air bubbles that amplify certain colors of light and cancel out others..
    Hummingbird_Annas_Landing_7518.jpg
  • A giant crevasse is visible in this aerial view of the Fox Glacier near Mount Tasman in New Zealand. Crevasses form as the glacier picks up speed and bends to move down the mountain. The higher speed and bending causes it to crack open.
    NZ_FoxGlacier_Crevasse_5576.jpg
  • Two Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) share a rocky ledge in Látrabjarg, Iceland. Puffins form huge colonies in Iceland during the spring breeding season, then scatter all over the Atlantic Ocean.
    Latrabjarg_PuffinPair.jpg
  • Large sand dunes form near Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park, Califonria. The dunes are surrounded by mountains, though most of the sand is the result of the erosion of the Cottonwood Mountains, which lie to the north and northwest.
    DeathValley_Dunes_Stovepipe.jpg
  • Brown pelicans dive off Natural Bridge near Santa Cruz, California at sunset. There used to be three arches, but the second one collapsed in the early 1980s. The first collapsed even earlier. Arches or bridges form when waves continually pound a weak spot in the rock, wearing a hole through it. Over time, continued erosion enlarges the hole so much that the overlying rock can no longer be supported and it collapses. A bridge is a span that connects to the mainland; an arch stands by itself.
    CA_NaturalBridge_SantaCruz_0358.jpg
  • Three vibrant shafts of light appear in a narrow passage in Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon carved by violent flash floods in Page, Arizona. The beams form only when the sun is nearly overhead, lighting up the blowing sand that fills the canyon, which is dozens of feet deep. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    AntelopeCanyonBeams.jpg
  • Wispy cirrus clouds become fiery after sunset and are reflected on Deception Pass in Washington state. Deception Pass is a strait that connects the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Skagit Bay, separating Whidbey (left) and Fidalgo (right) islands. This image was captured over Canoe Pass, the smaller of the two channels that combine to form Deception Pass.
    WA_Deception-Pass_Fiery-Sunset_9866.jpg
  • A lenticular cloud caps the summit of Mount Rainier at sunrise in this view from Bonney Lake, Washington. Lenticular clouds form when moist air is forced up and over mountains or other large obstructions. Higher, cirrostratus turn red in the first light of day. Mount Rainier, the highest peak in Washington state and the tallest volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range, has a summit elevation of 14,411 feet (4,392 meters).
    Rainier_Sunrise_Lenticular_Bonney-La...jpg
  • A male red-shafted northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) looks out from the nest it is building in a snag in the Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, Washington. The red-shafted northern flicker, also known as the western flicker, is a type of woodpecker and builds its nest by hollowing out decaying trees. It removes most of the wood chips to form a cavity in the tree, but reserves some wood chips to insulate and cushion its eggs.
    Flicker_Northern_Male_LookingOutFrom...jpg
  • A cap cloud covers the summit of Mount Baker, a 10,778 feet (3,285 m) volcano in Washington state. Cap clouds, technically called orographic stratiform clouds, form when moist air is forced over a mountaintop. The moisture condenses into water droplets as it climbs in elevation.
    Baker_CapCloud_0523.jpg
  • Lichen and moss form patterns on an exposed rock face near Lake Dorothy in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Washington state.
    WA-Alpine-Lakes_Moss-Lichen_8076.jpg
  • The Yakima River bends back on itself, nearly forming a circle near Ellensburg, Washington.
    WA_Yakima-River_Bend_Aerial_7498.jpg
  • The wind blows blades of dried grass, which carve a light groove into a sand dune in the Juniper Dunes Wilderness near Pasco, Washington. The Juniper Dunes Wilderness is named for the western juniper trees that grow there, the northernmost cluster of such trees. Located in Franklin County, Washington, Juniper Dunes is a protected wilderness area that comprises 7,140 acres (28.9 km²). Some dunes in the area measure more than 130 feet (40 meters) in height and 1,000 feet (305 meters) in width. The dunes formed in what was essentially a flood basin at the end of the last ice age.
    JuniperDunes_GrassBlownByWind_5289.jpg
  • A large kiawe (Prosopis pallida) tree frames of the southwestern coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui near the town of Makena. The first kiawe tree was introduced to Hawaii in 1828 and is now one of the most common trees in the dry lowlands of the Hawaiian islands. The prominent hill visible just to the right of the center of this image if Pu`u Ola`i, a 320-foot (98-meter) cinder cone formed when molten lava erupted from a volcanic vent and fell back to earth forming a nearly perfect cone. Pu`u Ola`i is also known as Earthquake Hill, Red Hill, and Round Mountain.
    Maui_Makena_Kiawe_PuuOlai_6384.jpg
  • Fresh snow coats the summits of the peaks at Landmannalaugar, located in the highlands of Iceland. Landmannalaugar, part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve, sits at the edge of the Laugahraun lava field, which was formed in an eruption around the year 1477.
    Iceland_Landmannalaugar_2640.jpg
  • Kings Creek forms a dramatic cascades as it tumbles down a steep hillside in Lassen Volanic National Park, California.
    Lassen_KingsCreek_3659.jpg
  • A bright double rainbow connects the mountains on both sides of Logan Pass, located in Glacier National Park, Montana. The rainbow formed as a heavy afternoon thunderstorm moved along the Going-To-The-Sun Road, which passes through the valley at the center of this image.
    Glacier_LoganPassRainbow_0081.jpg
  • The Potomac River forms a number of small cascades as flows over large rocks in Great Falls Park, Maryland.
    Great-Falls-Park_Potomac-River_5108.jpg
  • Icicles grow from the branches of a tree near Lake View in Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana. The ice formed on a 20-degree day when Lake Michigan waves splashed water onto the shore.
    Indiana-Dunes_Frozen-Tree_Lake-View_...jpg
  • The sea arch Porte d'Aval and the sea stack L'Aiguille (the Needle) stand in the Atlantic Ocean next to the cliffs of Étretat in Normandy, France. Porte d'Aval is most-widely known of the three natural sea arches that have formed in the white chalk cliffs, known as the Falaise d'Étretat, which are as tall as 90 meters (300 feet). L'Aiguille, or the Needle, rises 70 meters (230 feet) above the sea.
    Etretat_Porte-d'Aval_L'Aiguille_9577.jpg
  • Several layers of Berea sandstone are visible near the top of Brandywine Falls, a 60-foot (18-meter) waterfall located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio. Brandywine Falls drops overs over three different types of rock: Berea sandstone at the top, Bedford shale in the middle and Cleveland shale at the bottom. The newest rock is about 320 million years old; the oldest is about 400 million. The layers were exposed and the waterfall was formed about 10,000 years ago when the last glaciers retreated from the area.
    OH_Cuyahoga-Valley-NP_Brandywine-Fal...jpg
  • The setting sun seems to be balanced on one of the Sea Lion Rocks, a series of sea stacks off the northern Oregon coast. The rocks were formed by ancient lava flows, which have since been eroded by constant pounding from Pacific Ocean waves. These sea stacks are located near Ecola State Park, north of Cannon Beach, Oregon.
    OR_Sea-Lion-Rocks_Sunset_6821.jpg
  • Cascade Creek forms a small waterfall as it flows over rocks near an area known as The Cascades in Yosemite National Park, California.
    Yosemite_Cascade-Creek_9599.jpg
  • Irregular columnar jointing, called entablature, is visible on an exposed hillside near Artist Point in the North Cascades of Washington state. These types of rock columns are formed when volcanic rocks cool, contract and crack.
    North-Cascades_Columnar-Jointing_Art...jpg
  • A lenticular cloud somewhat traces the shape of Mount Baker as it forms over the volcano in Washington's North Cascades at dusk. Mount Baker, at 10,781 feet (3,286 meters), is the third largest volcano in Washington state and last erupted in 1880.
    Mount-Baker_Lenticular_Dusk_0800.jpg
  • The nearly full moon shines over Mount Shuksan, a 9,131 foot (2,783 meter) mountain in Washington's North Cascades, which is reflected in Picture Lake. Shown here at about midnight, Mount Shuksan was formed about 120 million years ago when two of Earth's plates collided and were thrust upward in an event known as the Easton collision.
    Shuksan_Moon_Midnight_9616.jpg
  • The rising sun clears the eastern caldera rim of Crater Lake, Oregon. Wizard Island, a dormant volcanic cone formed after the cataclysmic eruption of the ancient Mount Mazama, is visible in the foreground. Crater Lake, protected as a national park, is the deepest freshwater lake in North America.
    CraterLake_Sunrise_9990.jpg
  • A large kiawe (Prosopis pallida) tree frames of the southwestern coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui near the town of Makena. The first kiawe tree was introduced to Hawaii in 1828 and is now one of the most common trees in the dry lowlands of the Hawaiian islands. The prominent hill visible just to the right of the center of this image if Pu`u Ola`i, a 320-foot (98-meter) cinder cone formed when molten lava erupted from a volcanic vent and fell back to earth forming a nearly perfect cone. Pu`u Ola`i is also known as Earthquake Hill, Red Hill, and Round Mountain.
    Maui_Makena_Kiawe_PuuOlai_6412.jpg
  • The colorful, thermal-powered Champagne Pool formed in an a 700-year-old explosion crater near Rotorua, New Zealand. The blue water is full of gas bubbles containing carbon dioxide. The dramatic orange rim contains arsenic and antimony sulphur compounds, including gold and silver. The water temperature in the pool averages 74 degrees Celcius (164 degrees Fahrenheit). The pool is located within the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a protected park on New Zealand's north island.
    NZ_ChampagnePool_0188.jpg
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