AA-2026-DAFC4B
On the image
The ground here is what happens when geology decides to redecorate in a hurry. Molten rock cools into intricate, ropy patterns, then just sits there for a few millennia, daring anything organic to take root.
A few desert shrubs and tenacious grasses accept the dare, pushing roots into the black crevices. They likely believe they are thriving, unaware the lava has been here longer than most concepts of 'thriving' and will endure far beyond their annual ambitions.
Tourists in the 1970s, much like those today, would visit such places to consider the vastness of time. They took photographs, preserving a fleeting moment of their own brief existence against a backdrop that found the whole exercise mildly amusing.
The historian's note
This image captures a pahoehoe lava flow, characterized by its smooth, ropy, or billowy surface. Such formations are typical of effusive volcanic eruptions where highly fluid basaltic lava flows and cools relatively slowly, allowing for the development of these distinctive textures.
The sparse desert vegetation visible suggests a semi-arid or arid environment, common in many volcanic fields across the American Southwest, such as those found in New Mexico, Arizona, or Idaho. These environments present harsh conditions for plant life, yet demonstrate ecological succession on recent geological formations.
During the 1970s, interest in natural geological phenomena and national park visitation grew, making landscapes like this popular destinations for tourists and researchers studying volcanology and desert ecology.
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Pahoehoe Lava Flow and Desert Shrubs, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-DAFC4B. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/pahoehoe-lava-flow-and-desert-shrubs-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026DAFC4B,
title = {Pahoehoe Lava Flow and Desert Shrubs, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-DAFC4B},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/pahoehoe-lava-flow-and-desert-shrubs-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Pahoehoe Lava Flow and Desert Shrubs, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-DAFC4B UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/pahoehoe-lava-flow-and-desert-shrubs-1970s ER -
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