Trona Pinnacles, Natural landmark and protected area in California desert, United States.
The area contains over 500 tufa spires reaching heights of up to 140 feet, rising from the dry Searles Lake basin in the California desert.
The formations developed between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago when calcium-rich groundwater mixed with alkaline lake water during the Pleistocene period.
The Department of Interior designated Trona Pinnacles as a National Natural Landmark in 1968, preserving these geological towers for scientific research.
Visitors can access the site via a dirt road from State Highway 178, with basic facilities limited to one vault toilet and no water sources available.
The formations divide into four categories - towers, tombstones, ridges, and cones, with one ridge extending 800 feet long and 140 feet tall.
Location: California
Inception: 1968
GPS coordinates: 35.61713,-117.36836
Latest update: May 27, 2025 09:49
This collection presents geological formations created through millions of years of natural processes. From the striped sandstone walls of Antelope Canyon in Arizona to the basaltic columns of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland and the calcium terraces of Pamukkale in Turkey, these sites demonstrate the work of wind, water, tectonic forces and volcanic activity. The collection includes diverse geological phenomena across all continents. The Tsingy de Bemaraha in Madagascar consists of sharp limestone pinnacles, while the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand are large spherical concretions on the beach. The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia forms the world's largest salt flat, and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam displays thousands of karst islands rising from the sea. Many of these formations are accessible to visitors and offer insights into geological processes. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China inspired landscapes in popular films, while the Grand Prismatic Spring in Wyoming derives its colors from thermophilic bacteria. From the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines to the volcanic Jeju Island in South Korea, this collection documents the diversity of Earth's history.
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