#flaming cliffs

Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia

In a remote area between China and Russia, within the nomadic lands of Mongolia, there exists a clustering of red and orange sandstone rocks dating back to the Cretaceous Period (75 million years ago).  Known as The Flaming Cliffs, this location gets its name due to its color changing to a deep, shimmering red when the sunsets upon it.  

If you're a fan of the movie Jurassic Park or Raiders of the Lost Ark, then you'll be interested to know that this is the site where paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews (the inspiration for Indiana Jones) discovered the first dinosaur egg back in the 1920s.  Other significant dinosaur fossil finds have been the Protoceratops, Pinacosaurus and Velociraptor, as well as the bones of early mammals.  This is because The Flaming Cliffs is part of the Gobi Desert, an area which was once an inland sea teeming with life, until a series sandstorms and avalanches caused sudden death on a massive scale, preserving all remains.  And since these events, which occurred some 71-75 million years ago, the area has seen little change in climate, due to the fact it is so far remote from any significant water source that very little rainfall has reached it.  Thus taking a walk around these rocky cliffs is literally like taking a step back in time.  

Or at least so I'm told…I dunno for sure…I wasn't around to know what the area looked back then and that’s what the guide tells you when you get there.  But one thing that is for certain, is that if you comb the area even now today, you will still find new, undiscovered fossils buried within the dirt and sand.  But Dinosaur junkies be warned, leave whatever you find behind otherwiseborder officials will seize your loot and fine you a hefty fee.

Sadly, the Gobi Desert is expanding at an alarming rate through desertification, at several thousand kilometers per year, due to pollution, deforestation, and climate change.  Efforts have been made to stop its expansion by the Chinese government, but with so far, minute success.

“𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙨. 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙨. 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣. 𝙈𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙨 𝙂𝙤𝙙. 𝙈𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙨.” ~ 𝘿𝙧. 𝙄𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙢 (𝙅𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠)

𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 if you are a Warrior who has a deep dinosaur within you, just ROARing to get out!

What a great story, and amazing landscapes. Original caption:

This aerial picture shows the Flaming Cliffs in the Gobi desert  [Credit: AFP/Johannes Eisele]

Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia

Flaming Cliffs, Bulgan, Mongolia