This unique formation is known as Castle Peaks. Not to be confused with Castle Peak which is near Donner Pass along I-80, these peaks are located in the East Mojave National Scenic Area, along the northeast corner of the Mojave National Preserve and form a subrange of the New York Mountains.
This formation is easily seen from I-15 as you come down the hill towards the Ivanpah / Primm area towards Las Vegas. As you descend down the hill look straight across the valley on the horizon and you will see the jagged peaks along the top of the mountains.
The peaks are composed principally of volcanic tuffs and breccias which caused deep erosion and formed distinct, sharp summits. However, only two summits have more than 300’ of prominence: the peak marked “Dove” on the USGS 24k map (1776.7m), and the DPS-named “North Castle Butte” (1797m). The latter is unnamed on the USGS map. The peak marked “Dove” is often called “Dove Benchmark”, but the actual monument (an aluminum disc placed in 1956) has disappeared. The benchmark was likely named after Dove Spring which is nearby.
While an interesting geological feature, what I find also quite interesting is the existence of a smaller unnamed formation that sites below Castle Peaks a rocks throw distance to the east. I discovered this small formation while I was flying and filming the peaks from the eastern side of the mountain range. You can clearly see the smaller formation below the Peaks in this image. While not an exact copy it is a smaller replica set of the larger peaks.
What is really intriguing about these double peak formations is that there are no other formations of this type in the area surrounding the peaks. So two of them together in such close proximity are pretty neat to see, especially from the air.
I lensed this image just after a rains storm had passed the area; hence the cloud layers in the distance. This part of the Mojave Desert was home to First Nations Tribal Peoples such as the Desert Chemehuevi and the Mohave who lived as hunter / gatherers in the area. They used the Ivanpah Valley on one side of the New York Mountains and the Colorado River on the other as a transportation corridor. Limited food and water resources sustained a low Desert Chemehuevi population density. When food was abundant, it would be dried and cached for later use. The area of the Mojave Preserve probably never supported more than about 150 people at any one time.
Have you seen these are you traveled from California to Las Vegas?
It was so beautiful ...! I am stunned by nature, but some people often ruin it, and we have to guard and protect it, making nature a friend for us .. Do not be busy exploiting nature for personal gain .. thanks a lot of good friends @ munazir. Merry ..
Absolutely beautiful but... a smaller replica set of the larger peaks and no other formations of this type in the area surrounding the peaks?
LOL !!!! Absolutely... I am pretty sure there is an alien colony under there!!
Very good and beautiful post. You have managed to take very good photos. Rarely can I see such a scene and you share it with us. I you people have a good talent so the results are perfect. Hopefully one day I was lucky to get a picture like your post. thanks for sharing
Thank you for your comments and appreciation for my posting. The image I shared was my second photo of an insect using an HP camera on the macro lens. Sorry if the picture is a little blurred because not skilled to use because of the macro, so my hand is still a bit rocking
Thanks for your kind words.... all it takes it practice and more practice!!! I look forward to seeing what you do!
its soo beautiful..
It is a very unique formation!
Nice work @skypilot
great post. i follow you
Nice shot!
Awesome post, I have actually never seen that formation so thank you for the beautiful picture. Seeing such awesome formations from the earth simply feeds the fire I have for minerals. I would be curious to know what is lying under these massive formations :)
LOL me too!! I share your curiosity about what lies beneath...
beautiful shot, and accompanied by so much information about the place. Nice job man, I really enjoyed reading that. I have travelled by car from vegas to california, but it was about 26 years ago so I probably did see them, but can't remember. Great excuse to go back though ;)
Thanks .. yeah next time you drive across these are very noticeable if you know where to look.
Great landscape. One thing I really like about this shot is the three different values of light, dark shadow on the peaks, bright light in the mid-ground, and medium shadow in the foreground. It makes the image so dynamic and interesting.
Very good! That is correct... when I was taking the shot I tried to get a cool balance of the different light/energy/heat spectrum so that it would reproduce accordingly.... very cool technical observation! thanks
Great picture.
Great to know about this Castle peaks. This shot, if taken by you, is great actually. I a looking forward to visit New York soon enough .
LOL thanks... glad you dig it... yes it was taken by me... and it is not in New York though. These are the New York Mountains in Nevada near the Arizona border in the Mojave Desert Wilderness.
The clouds in the background give the impression that the mountains are really high.
Yes but in reality they are only about 3,500 feet MSL.
What a great photo man :)
Such a gorgeous photograph, the colors are so realistic.
Thanks! It is a very unique formation
wonderful place and nice post.
Yes I agree, and thank you!
Nice shot!
The clouds make such a beautiful shadow patterns over the sceen. Must be amazing to photograph such a landscape from air. Very beautiful work and good info. I´m following :)
It is an amazing experience being there in person... these photographs and films only tell a very small part of the story... honestly, there are times I get deeply humbled by the scenes I find. The Earth is truly a wondrous place.
Hello @skypilot. Thank you for sharing your photos.
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