Land's End

These fields seem to be (look like they are) slowly eroding away into barren wasteland. At 30,000 feet one can more easily see geographic transitions like this and it's one of the reasons I find flying so enjoyable.

Note: there was ice on the window and you can see it in the bottom of the image. Also, I bumped up the contrast some here to get it closer to the way it looked to my eye.

I posted a piece on my weblog about being "dugg" that some of you may find interesting to read if you're coming to this image late: I felt the digg effect.

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Comments

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(107 comments)

nathalie mullen-briquet says:

That's so amazing I had to move closer to the screen to make sure I was right
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Harriet Picturebug says:

It makes me think of a movie that was on recently "10.5" it was about an earthquake. This is just incredible to see! Where was this taken?
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Ctd 2005 says:

Cool Richard ! Almost looks more like a painting, sci fi like.
I went into the Original size just to view that transition from flat fields to the geologic formations.
I had just seen one of the many aerial shots from Doc Searls stream he has a fascination for the geologic formations from way up.

Richard where is this?
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Wattwurm's View [deleted] says:

Interesting photo, Richard.
I can't see any trees, shrubs or bushes to stop erosion
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Dale Allyn says:

Really a bizarre scene. Great catch, Richard.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Cℓea tecℓea says:

This is so beautiful! It's a pity I hate flying....
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Kalabird says:

Wow, this is such an unusual and beautiful image! I love how the earth looks as if it's chipping away. Gorgeous work :o).
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

yeimaya says:

Scary scene!! Richard would you be willing to put this (or any of the ones that show contrast between manmade and natural landscapes) in Voices?
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

jamesToligney says:

Richard this is spectacular! thanks so much for sharing these.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

GoSo says:

Impressive!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Gary Sharp says:

Incredible image Richard! That area in the foreground looks like it's about to break apart and fly off into space.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Thank you all very much, I'm delighted you find this as interesting as I do. I've seen this before on earlier flights but never got a decent image of it.

I don't know where it is exactly but here's some information that might help: Took off from JFK at 11:20 am EST, this was shot at 2:58 EST and the flight was 5 hrs, 15 minutes long. That tells me that this is about 2/3 of the way across. Oklahoma? Kansas? Too bad these cameras don't have GPS in them and don't put world x/y in the EXIF. I'll bet serious money it's done in our lifetimes, it's a natural. Maybe a Canon/Google thing (like the Apple/Nike thing).

Thank you all again for your interest and kind words.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

jpo says:

Wow, what a shot!

This is in eastern New Mexico, about 10 miles north of the town of Grady. Map here. (Satellite shot appears inverted because the photo is looking south).
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Dang jpo, you rock. Thanks.

If this is 10 miles north of Grady, Grady must be off the edge of the world! ;)
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Aaron23 [deleted] says:

Fuckin' Wow!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Perez de la Garza says:

awesome!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

thisisfranciswu says:

Wow... so that's what the edge of the world looks like :P.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

KeesvL says:

A stunning picture, Richard! I love it.

Funny: you commented that the “fields seem to be slowly eroding away into barren wasteland”, whereas my first reaction was exactly the opposite: so this (the barren nature below) will be lost as civilization spreads... ;-)
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

doow. says:

An amazing picture to study.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Aaron: you make me laugh (good thing).

Perez: thank you.

freakystyley: Yes, I flew past the end of the world. It's slowly spreading north and west. Hopefully I'll fly back over it before it reaches me here. God knows what I'll find when I get back home (east of the end of the world).

Kees: I see your point. We need more fields to make more corn to fatten up more cows to marbelize their meat so we get heart disease when we eat it (see Michael Pollen's work for more on corn).

I guess they'll have to do it with landfill; the way I see this image the barren part is at sligly lower elevation. Of course, we make enough garbage to fill that barren wasteland no doubt ;).

Sarah: I'll be happy to offer you an online degree when you're done. ;)
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Gary Sharp says:

Aaron's comment is right on!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

hobbie21 says:

What some of you might not realize after being wowed by the sheer visual force of this photo is that this is a horribly depressing picture. We are not encroaching on the wasteland, rather the wasteland is encroaching on us due to farmers missuse of land in these arid regions (basically land never meant for commercial farming!).
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Flipped Out says:

Amazing ... edge of the world. Love your plane shots ...
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

DanCentury says:

Looks like it could be the cover of a 1980's prog-rock record.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Eric Atkins says:

Interesting
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

MikeSty says:

That's awesome as awesome gets :O

!dugg ;)
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

bedheadben says:

dugg
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

nathanking says:

Wonderful photo. I don't think the fields are actually eroding though. I'd love to hear from a geologist on what's going on there. Amazing.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

sam_ says:

Remarkable
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

aussie aubs says:

welcome digg.com surfers
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Oh boy, I got dug. No wonder this image got churned (eroded).

Just to be clear to those of you coming from digg, I wasn't making a political or environmental statement about erosion in this post, I was simply describing the view and to me, it looks like the land in the "canyon" has been eroded by a river or rivers or water. Yikes.

Whoever dug this, thank you for the compliment.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

saberjim says:

Stunning shot. It is not rampant erosion, however. This is locally called the, "caprock". It has taken millenia to do the eroding you see in the picture.

The very hard Edwards limestone ( the rock layer on top) underlies the soil of the farmed area. It is slowly being undercut by the action of water and wind on the underlying sediments which are very soft. After the undercutting is sufficient the limestone then cracks off and falls away.

I doubt the area will change much in our lifetimes. The sediments below the caprock are high in clay content hence the lack of farming there.

When I flew out of Cannon AFB in the 60s we used it as a reliable landmark during dust storms.

SaberJim, a very old geologist
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

neighborofthebeast says:

maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=new+ mexico&l...
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

jobyyboj says:

Similar contrast looking from the air between the ash grey trees blasted down by Mt. St. Helens and the surrounding rich green forest; after the eruption in 1980. Like a jigsaw puzzle with some pieces missing. Nature's destructive power sure is beautiful.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Gearhart* [deleted] says:

digg
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Again, to underscore saberjim, it LOOKS like it's eroding. I was not making an environmental or geologic statement, merely a visual one. Thanks for the heads up on the terrain though, I appreciate knowing more about it.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

gogglephil says:

EDIT* removed link to another photo.

Sorry for the offense
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

The Confusinator says:

AMAZING! I'm in Albuquerque.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

elanaabeles says:

ha, didn' t know there was an australian new mexico. weird link, neighborofthebeast.

I'm from santa fe. This photo rocks.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

radziu says:

Great idea and great photo :]
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Fillllll says:

awesome shot, it even got DUGG!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

MyNameIsHarry says:

thats amazing!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

beyondthefourthwall says:

Nifty!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

JDorrington says:

Excellent picture Richard.
For anyone interested in seeing the pic in Google Earth, click on this link. It should open up Google Earth and fly you to the location.

bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=42809 6
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

bimma says:

is this for real? That is such a good photo... absolutely love it ! nice one richard !!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Exempt says:

cool photo, and now you have the digg effect!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

DragonDrop says:

found this on popurls.com (digg feed) cool photo!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

timely says:

Thanks SaberJim for telling us about that. I wondered whether this could really be a fast-moving erosion, since it looks like there are established roads/paths that follow the outline of the erosion very closely. That means that either it's happening very slowly, or the people in this area make roads very quickly!

Also, does it look like there are farming plots IN the canyon? Faint ones? That's interesting. I wonder if the effective rainfall is actually better inside the canyon due to a basin effect.

Thanks Richard for sharing the great photo.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Wolf Gang says:

I agree with SaberJim that this is longterm erosion. Otherwise they would not have built wind turbines close to the edge of the canyon (see hi-res image, right).
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

titaniumhalo says:

What an excellent pic!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

bennyp@rogers.com says:

Looks like it's time for them to plant some trees!

I hope they aren't being forced into farming by people in a stronger economic position.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Thank you all for the kind words about this image. I'm delighted so many people find it interesting.

Aside from being overrun with views (gad!) the digg effect has introduced me to a lot of fine people, on and off flickr, who I'm delighted to meet. Thanks for stopping by and I hope I can get around to looking at some of your images soon.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

ozMKE says:

Can you pinpoint more exactly where this was taken? I’d like to try to find in on the satellite view with Google Maps.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

ozmike: I know the comment string is long but jpo posted it already. It's in northeastern New Mexico here.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Andrew Geddes says:

awesome shot! definitely a favourite.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

swan-t says:

Very cool shot! Interesting!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

peperazzi says:

wow...i'm impressed!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

digitalAmit says:

Awesome!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

phirschybar says:

wow
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

markramsey.com says:

blogged this, what a great shot
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

jpo says:

Wolf Gang has sharp eyes to spot those wind turbines!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Pockafwye says:

Wow!!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

WAXY. says:

Spectacular! The composition and colours truly mesmerize me. Nice work. Enjoy your trip to the wild west.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

freshasspearmint says:

oh, wow, this is amazing! i don't think i've ever seen anything like it.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

monterino says:

Do you have the compass points? Maybe this is viewable on Google Earth!!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Hawkeye39 says:

Great shot!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Again, delighted so many people are finding this image interesting.

monterino: fangthorn obliged you above in the thread.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Krypto says:

Amazing shot, and thanks to Saberjim for the geological info!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Saint Seminole says:

I'll add to the long string of people who are overwhelming you with comments... It's a great shot of a very photogenic place -- at least from your angle and by someone of your skill with a camera.

I truly enjoyed the image and all the informational comments.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

JohnGoode says:

Informative and simply amazing!
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Saint S: yes, this comment thread is wearing a rut in my flickr space... but it's a very flattering rut so I'm delighted to have it.

I think there are many photogenic views from planes and maybe this image and the fact that we now have the spot pinpointed will help others see that it's not that hard to do, one just has to keep the shade open and look out from time to time.

At the risk of sounding self-promotional, I made a list of considerations for shooting from planes at my weblog: Things to consider when shooting from planes. It might help answer some questions for those of you wondering how I do it (I'm no pro, just an enthusiastic amature like many of the rest of you).
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Rave06 says:

I appologise for adding to this pile . However I want to favorite your picture . Nice job ! Good photo and interesting story .
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Kasimir Szekeres says:

ow my this is like.. unreal..
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Now that my 15 minutes of fame are over, I'd like to thank everyone who viewed, faved, commented, and stampeded over this image.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

oisch says:

Impressive! Looks like a fractal
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

janoid says:

I wonder if your 15 minutes will slowly continue.... though not as quickly as at first.... :) I just found this on someone elses favorites page, and it is fantastic! I love your digg experience!

You deserve your 15 minutes for this picture! It is really exceptional!! :)
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

oisch: good comparison, I agree that the edge is very fractal-like.

janoid: Okay, 16 minutes of fame and it'll take another year to get to 17. ;) Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

jorgempf says:

just to say i like it, and also to remind me of read it all :)
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

¥€$ says:

Woa, amazing pic!
¥€$
Posted 37 months ago. ( permalink )

mallaal_3 [deleted] says:

oh my god
thats really creepy
Posted 33 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Thanks jorgmps, yen/cent/dollar, and mallaal, I appreciate you looking.
Posted 33 months ago. ( permalink )

BenFrantzDale says:

Here it is. The photo was taken facing SSE.
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Thanks Ben, that's a wonderful link.
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

dan_haugh says:

HOLY GOD this is amazing. JUST, JESUS H. CHRIST ON HIS COLLASAL THRONE OF GOLD AND RASBERRIES, I have never seen such an amazin photograph in three months!!!! Richie, you have done us all a service of heavenly proportionates by taking this picture with your kind wisdom and beauty. Great capture, good lighting, LOL!!! Cheers on another doozie! ^__^ Love, Danny
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

DarthMaltball says:

Where is this? Why is there such a difference in altitude between the two areas? I looks like there are outlines of old farm plots on the eroded land.
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Dan, thanks, I appreciate your comment. I take it you came from the reddit link.

Darth: It seems this is northeast New Mexico. It's really not erosion as reading through the comment thread will attest to. I had no idea what I was looking at when I took it and posted it and it looked like erosion to me. If you look at the largest size you'll see wind turbins along the ridge.
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

jpo says:

Richard, thanks again for your fantastic image. I've recently featured this image on the not so green website, with satellite images and maps of the exact locations of this and the other images from this series. Please check it out if you're interested.
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

jpo: I did better, I blogged it.
Posted 26 months ago. ( permalink )

Mr Haug aka 'Kris' says:

Can you map this?
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

If you can get the coordinates off of this I'll do it:

maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&ie= UTF8&oe=...
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

Nelson Chee says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called EARTH : The way you see it from high altitude, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
Posted 16 months ago. ( permalink )

soylentgreen23 says:

That's got to be the most outstanding photo I've seen on flickr for quite some time. Good work!

Oh, and I came by way of www.kottke.org rather than digg :)
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

lefauxfrog says:

Prepare to be kottke'd, Richard. :-)
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Thanks for the heads up soylentgreen and lefaurxfrog. I wish, however, that he'd linked to this view rather than the large view where people will no doubt... well, you know. Sigh. I guess there's no protecting this image anymore.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

cixcell says:

id like to see what it looks like from the ledge
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

Fort Photo says:

Very nice and congrats on getting dugg!

--
Seen on reddit.com (?)
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

Anitza V says:

Came over from Reddit/Wired. It is such an awesome photo. Thanks for sharing it!

--
Seen on wired.com (?)
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

ashabot says:

Great photo, Richard but one thing. The desert, unpopulated Earth, is not "barren wasteland". Most people seem to think that if humans haven't infested an area, it's a wasteland. They so miss the point and the beauty of Earth.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

itsthestringers says:

Awesome photo... This one was particularly interesting to me, because I grew up right there near Grady, NM. I could almost see my house! In the bottom right quadrant of the picture, you can see an angled gray line, which is the two-lane highway that travels up the Cap (the Caprock, locals call it the "cap"). The altitude at the edge of the plateau there is 4900 feet - nearly a mile high. And the guy who mentioned wind turbines is right. There is a newly constructed 80 Mw wind farm on the edge of the plateau - very windy there. This is what it looks like from the ground: flickr.com/photos/whitakerz/2264642312/sizes/ o/
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

Richard- says:

Wow, fantastic itsthestringers. Thanks for the view from the ground, nice to see that.
Posted 12 months ago. ( permalink )

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Taken with a Canon EOS 20D.
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Taken on May 24, 2006

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