See the wide channel that runs from left to right with the windy river in it? You are looking at one of the most amazing stories in geological history ever. I’d like to tell you about it.
Over on Scienceblogs, Greg Laden has a great article. He starts by looking at above map and digs back into the history of the landscape depicted in it. I loved the images he’s capable of evoking, of a landscape and of events long gone. Maps do tell stories. And the landscapes they depict are palimpsests, shaped by numerous processes and events at wildly different scales, different frequencies and durations.
Disclaimer: Beware! After reading Greg’s article, you may end up donating for a classroom skeleton! You wonder, why? There’s only one way to find out :)