Death Valley National Park's geology is shaped by millions of years of tectonic activity, erosion, and extreme conditions. The valley was formed by faulting and subsidence along the Death Valley Fault, creating the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin. The park features ancient rocks, some over 1.7 billion years old, volcanic formations like the Ubehebe Crater lava flows, and salt flats from evaporated ancient lakes. These geological features offer a glimpse into Earth’s dynamic history.

I’ve visited the park three times, in 2006, 2008, and 2024, experiencing different seasons and times of day. The landscape shifts with the light, with hues of yellow, orange, red, and brown changing from warm glow at sunrise and sunset to stark white contrasts at midday.

This collection of photographs captures the accessible sites over the each of the years I had visited. In 2006 and 2008, locations like Zabriskie Point were easily reached, while sites like Scotty’s Castle and Titus Canyon are now inaccessible due to weather and erosion. In this series I chose color photography to emphasize the minerals’ vibrant hues at different times of the day.