Pinnacles National Park

Moses Spring Trail Pinnacles NP

Lichen-covered oaks along Moses Spring Trail, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

High Peaks Crescent Moonset

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

California Condor Taking Flight

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

Bear Gultch Reservior and Storm Clouds

Storm clouds hover over Bear Gultch Reservior near sunset, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA

Oak Tree in Fall Color, Pinnacles National Park

Oak Tree in Fall Color, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA

California Condor

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

Moonrise Over High Peaks at Sunset

Moonrise Over High Peaks at Sunset, Pinnacles National Park, West Side, California, United States.

California Oak at Pinnacles National Park

California Oak along Condor Gulch Trail at Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

Pinnacles Lava Formations, West Face

Pinnacles Lava Formations, West Face, Pinnacles National Park, West Side, California, United States.

Moonrise Over Western High Peaks

A nearly full moon rises over high peaks minutes before sunset at Pinnacles National Monument, Monterey County, California , USA.

Fill Moon Rise Over High Peaks

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

Birds of Prey

BIrds of prey: condors, buzzards and ravens forage around high peaks, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Bear Gultch Resevior

Late afternoon light on Bear Gulch Reservoir, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Common Large Monkey Flowers

Common Large Monkey Flowers (Mimulus guttatus) grow near a small creek along Old Pinnacles Trailhead, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Heading Home, California Condor

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

High Peaks and Balconies

The Pinnacles High Peaks consists of a relatively strong, well-consolidated breccia. The layers of breccias are thought to have formed as the result of material slumping off the sides of the volcano near the vents causing large landslides. The formation at the far end of this image is known as The Balconies. The volcano (that caused these formations) was likely near water and the landslides traveled as massive turbidity currents under water that spread the material considerable distances until coming to rest near distant edges of the volcano. Volcanic ash and rhyolitic lava flows are inter-layered with these breccias. Subsequent burial and compaction hardened these layers into the consolidated rock we see today. Recent faulting, fracturing and erosion have sculpted these rock layers into vertical cliffs and spires sometimes several hundred feet high. Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Snow Covered High Peaks

Snow covered high peaks, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Storm Cloud Over High Peaks

Stromy sky over high peaks, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Storm Clouds Over High Peaks

Storm clouds over high peaks, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Stormy Sunset Over Pinnacles High Peaks

Pinnacles National Park, California, United States.

The Balconies

The Pinnacles High Peaks consists of a relatively strong, well-consolidated breccia. The layers of breccias are thought to have formed as the result of material slumping off the sides of the volcano near the vents causing large landslides. The formation at the far end of this image is known as The Balconies. The volcano (that caused these formations) was likely near water and the landslides traveled as massive turbidity currents under water that spread the material considerable distances until coming to rest near distant edges of the volcano. Volcanic ash and rhyolitic lava flows are inter-layered with these breccias. Subsequent burial and compaction hardened these layers into the consolidated rock we see today. Recent faulting, fracturing and erosion have sculpted these rock layers into vertical cliffs and spires sometimes several hundred feet high. Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Moonset at Sunrise, High Peaks, Pinnacles National Park

A full moon sets at sunrise over high peaks, Pinnacles National Park, San Benito County, USA.

High Peak Volcanic Rocks

Volcanic rocks, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA.

Granodiorite Formations and Bear Gultch Resevoir

Warm afternoon light bathes Bear Gulch Reservoir, Pinnacles National Park, California, USA. The granitic basement is the Santa Lucia Granite and Granodiorite. These granites formed when masses of molten lava slowly cooled as they rose through the earth’s crust to a point where they completely solidified. A slow cooling process allows individual crystals to grow fairly large. Subsequent uplift from faulting and erosion of overlying material exposed these rocks at the earth’s surface. These are the oldest rocks in the park, 78-100 million years old. They form the basement upon which the rest of the rocks at the Monument lie.