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Mud cracks in an arroyo near San Ysidro

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Mud cracks formed in a thin clay layer deposited in an arroyo after a flash flood.

Image taken: 10/10/2021
by: Adam Read
© 2021

Longitude: -106.797516346
Latitude: 35.5603002299
  (WGS 84 or NAD 83)

About this image

Ripple marks are preserved on thin clay sheets that are now separated by mud cracks. These features formed after a recent flash flood event, but sedimentary structures like these are often seen in ancient rocks. This illustrates the principle of uniformitarianism, often summarized as "the present is the key to the past".

Image posted: 12-17-2021