December 26, 2011

We stopped at a rock shop to buy huge chunks of quartz and ogle the various exotic metamorphic minerals; as an igneous petrologist I wandered off and was promptly accosted by the resident cat.

My purchase?  A huge chunk of basalt with bright green olivine crystals protruding outward.  We even see rocks like that from the moon [PDF].

Leaving the canyon, we saw wiggles of columnar basalt dancing below the deep blue sky.

Farewell, Zion!