Rainbow Gardens, Nevada

This is 13 million year old Lava Butte, seen from where Lake Mead Boulevard joins the Northshore Road. At a mere 2,871' above sea level, Lava Butte was formed when fresh lava forced itself between the older, adjacent layers when they were horizontal. As with many rocks in the Lake Mead region, tectonic activity has moved this rock tens of miles to the west from where it first spewed from the Earth. The many geologic layers that help make the Grand Canyon so spectacular are exposed in Rainbow Gardens, which surround Lava Butte between Las Vegas and Lake Mead. Although the display isn't as memorable as at Grand Canyon, the numerous and colourful north-south ridges offer insight into our Earth's "shady" past. Exposed rocks in this region date back more than one billion years, representing every major era of Earth's development. The oldest exposed rocks are to the west in and around Frenchman Mountain, including the 1.8 billion year old Vishnu Schist, the oldest exposed rock in North America. Yes, that's a much younger Lake Las Vegas in the foreground. It's basically a retreat for rich people. March 21, 2008