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Standing near to the shaded spire known as Volcanic Neck in the Wenatchee Mountains north of Cle Elum, Washington. This is taken along the scramblers trail leading to the nearby unofficial summit of Devils Head. The Wenatchee Mountains consist of a lot of ultramafic rock, specificially peridotite & serpentine (serpentinite) which are more rich in iron and magnesium. That differs considerably from the Stuart Range immediately to the north which is a granite batholith. This is familiar geology to me as it is similar to the Klamath Mountains in Northern California/Southern Oregon, the result of rarer rocks in-turn coincides with the abundance of rarer plants & flora only found in that region. The same is true for the Wenatchee Mountains where the uncommon ultramafic rocks here also house rare plants (though not as much as the Klamaths), such as the Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow. Where this photo is taken, one can see that the dark ultramafic rock is noticeably bare as most trees & plants can't do as well with the rich magnesium, or if they grow in it they are usually stunted. The moment the white rock (might be a form of granodiorite?) becomes the landscape then the common subalpine trees of the region grow in abundance. This is also noticeable in the adjacent peaks across the basins where darker rocks are bare & the whiter rocks are forested. It is so subtle to the average hiker but caught my attention almost immediatley.
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
