discovering canada
Red Rock Coulee
Alberta
So you’re driving down a Prairie road and you happen to look
over your shoulder and see huge rocks scattered about like giant
marbles down the side of a ravine. “What is that?” you ask in
awe. I’m sure that would be your reaction as you first set eyes
upon these alien-looking structures.
These concretions, as they are known, were formed in prehistoric seas as layers
of sand, iron oxide and calcite (a carbonate material) gathered about a
core of matter such as shells, leaves and bones. As more and more layers of
this matter were added from deposits made by the circulating waters of the
ancient seas, the boulders became larger and larger. Some of the concretions
found at Red Rock Coulee, AB now measure up to 2.5 m in diameter and are
believed to be the largest ones in the world. These large, roundish, sandstone
boulders, which seem to emerge out of the Prairie landscape, are by far the
most distinctive and striking feature of the Red Rock Coulee Natural Area....
By Mike Grandmaison
Contributing Editor
To read more from this article please ...
BIO
Following a 20 year career in the biological sciences, Mike Grandmaison shifted his
focus to become a full time professional photographer in 1996 devoting his time
more or less evenly between stock and assignment photography. He shoots for a
broad range of corporate and editorial clients, in fields ranging from agriculture to
architecture and from forest to factory. Mike' s passion for photography, particularly
his ability to capture the intimate details of thnatural world, has won him numerous
commissions from clients across Canada, the U.S. and Europe. His images have
been published worldwide by National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, Geo,
Audubon, Sierra, Ford, Loblaws, Canadian Gardening, Canada Post, Canadian
Wheat Board, Investor's Group, Merrill Lynch, CN, Nature's Best and the
Smithsonian Institute to mention a few. His fine art prints of the natural world adorn
offices of corporations, businesses and homes across the country and abroad. Mike
also contributed to four postage stamp projects and his images appear in countless
calendars and books each year. His coffee table book "CANADA" became a
national bestseller early on and his latest book on the Canadian Rockies will be
released in April. Mike is a regular contributor to Outdoor Photography Canada
magazine and lives in "balmy" Winnipeg.
Please click here to visit Mike's web site. |
