Plunging Anticline at the Strait of Hormuz
February 08, 2011
Photographer: Conrad Allen
Summary Author: Conrad Allen; Jim Foster
The photo above showing a gently plunging anticline along the coast of Oman was taken from a research vessel near the Straits of Hormuz. The north-south trending anticline is in Jurassic limestone. Note the axis at left center. Mountains here rise steeply from the sea, giving a fjord-like appearance to the coastline. This area is quite rich in marine life and thus attractive to large colonies of seabirds. Note also the "human faces" in the layer of rock about half way up the syncline at right center. Sun and shadow often trick our brain to create recognizable objects from inanimate ones -- an example of the phenomenon known as pareidolia. Photo taken on December 4, 2010.
Photo details: Camera Maker: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.; Camera Model: StylusTough-8010; Focal Length: 25.0mm (35mm equivalent: 140mm); Aperture: f/16.0; Exposure Time: 0.0020 s (1/500); ISO equiv: 1000; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Exposure: program (Auto); White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Color Space: sRGB.