Geo 730: Jan. 17, Day 382: Ascending the Slope

As you can see, most of the cliff face is lined with a talus pile, from debris falling from the slick, crumbly serpentinite face. I'm always a little nervous about getting up close and personal with this sort of outcrop, though less so in dry weather. However, those piles at the base are an explicit warning that one should be alert to what's over your head. For me, it's less about keeping a sharp eye out- I'm often caught up in looking for nice seams of serpentine- but paying close attention to what I'm hearing.

From this distance, the outcrop looks quite chaotic. The fact is, up close, it seems even more so. There is, however, a distinct fabric to the rocks; the shearing seems to more or less parallel the road.

Photo unmodified. May 8, 2013. FlashEarth Location. Indexed