Special POTD September 27, 2013: Kodachrome Basin State Park. Kane County, Utah

Today’s photo comes from our Facebook user Dustin Garrett along with a question he asked some months ago. “Kodachrome Basin Lightning Strike – Is that indeed, what the lines are?”  The lightning-shaped mineral veins are, sadly, not the result of actual  lightning. They are most likely gypsum veins, which would have formed in the surrounding rock long before erosion exposed them. While fascinating in their own right, real lightning might have been a little cooler. Thanks for the question Dustin!

As an interesting side note, Kodachrome Flat was named so by the National Geographic Society in 1948 after the new brand of Kodak film which was used to photograph the area. A few years after the area became a state park in 1962 the name was changed to Kodachrome Basin with permission from Kodak.

Remember, you can submit photos and ask questions anytime on our blog, Facebook, or on Twitter. It is the job of the UGS to disseminate accurate geologic knowledge to you our followers!