The Painted Hills, Oregon Oct 11, 2023

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, located in Oregon, is a geological treasure. It is renowned for its exceptional fossil deposits, specifically the mesmerising Painted Hills, which is one of the three units in the park. Layers of vividly coloured clay-rich soils make for a captivating landscape. These hills contain a record of changing climates and ecosystems that span millions of years. Here, visitors can 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

Magnified moss
Oct 11, 2024Wood duck, Quebec, Canada
Oct 11, 2025World Migratory Bird Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

The envy of postcards and snowglobes
Jan 27, 2025Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Sep 11, 2023Médoc, France
May 31, 2025Knuthöjdsmossen nature reserve, Sweden
The sea that acts like a lake
A gorge-ous place to drop in
Jan 2, 2026Aerial view of Venice, Italy
Mar 11, 2024Sleeping koala
Were halfway there
A grand view
Where the humpback whale sings
May 28, 2024The Monastery of Roussanou, Greece
We’ve identified these ‘flying objects’
Dec 28, 2023Humpback whale
Golden cliffs of deep space
Dare to delve into this dense swamp
Spanning the soft sunlight
Blurring the lines with wearable art
Bryce Canyon hoodoos in winter
Feb 20, 2025Red deer, Canada
Hello, is it tea you’re looking for?
Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Beauty comes in trees
Jul 10, 2025Guru Purnima
Sep 29, 2023Sangameswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh
Oct 31, 2025Bran Castle in Bran, Brașov, Romania
Nov 20, 2025Mother manatee and calf, Crystal River, Florida, United States
MPs most photographed big cat
What are they celebrating?
Mar 26, 2025Manatee in Crystal River, Florida, United States