The Painted Hills, Oregon, USA Oct 11, 2023

Oregon"s John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, specifically the mesmerising Painted Hills, are one of the most well-known spots in the world to see and study fossils. Layers of vividly coloured clay-rich soils make for a captivating landscape. These hills contain a record of changing climates and ecosystems that spans millions of years. Here, visitors can freely explore a museum that displays fossils of plants and animals that thrived long ago. One can get a glimpse of fossils of opossums, oreodonts, sabre-toothed tigers and turtles by visiting the Clarno unit of the monument. These remnants serve as a reminder of the dynamic and fascinating history our planet holds.

© Ben Herndon/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Oct 11, 2024Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia, Canada
Oct 11, 2025Wood duck hen

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 1, 2026Colourful house in Olinda, Brazil
Jun 18, 2025Asian swallowtail butterfly
Dec 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
Jan 12, 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
Jan 21, 2024Eurasian red squirrel
Jul 8, 2025Seceda, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy
Sep 30, 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA
Sep 5, 2025Santa Monica Pier
Aug 19, 2025Flysch in Zumaia, Basque Country, Spain
Mar 7, 2026Snowy owl near the Canadian Rockies
Sep 11, 2025Peña Falcon rock, Monfragüe National Park, Spain
May 30, 2024Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Mar 29, 2026Peggys Point Lighthouse, Atlantic Coast, Nova Scotia, Canada
Jan 30, 2024Ayna, Albacete, Spain
Dec 15, 2024Lake Misurina, Dolomites, Italy
Dec 23, 2024Two red-crowned cranes in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan
Dec 24, 2024Half-timbered Houses of Freudenberg, Germany
Jan 9, 2024Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Oct 4, 2023Tarantula Nebula
Jul 2, 2024Italica, an old Roman city in Santiponce, Andalusia, Spain
June 29, 2026Bora Bora and its lagoon, South Pacific, French Polynesia
Mar 3, 2024Leopard in a tree, Kruger National Park, South Africa
Oct 18, 2025Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, England
May 31, 2025Knuthöjdsmossen nature reserve, Sweden
Oct 8, 2024Mototi octopus
Jun 6, 2024Greater flamingos at Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, Camargue, France
May 20, 2026Bumble bee pollinating, Worcester, England
Sep 28, 2025Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy
Nov 21, 2025Harbour seals
Jan 5, 2026A herd of impalas