Photographer: Michael L. Finch
Summary Author: Michael L. Finch
While hiking through a canyon on the California side of the Colorado River, just north of Parker, Arizona, we came across these water-drop craters. Even though this area is a desert with little rainfall, the tiny craters take shape as a result of dew formation. On clear nights, dew forms on the surface of the rocks and anything else that reaches the dew point temperature. The dewdrops eventually move down-slope and drip off of the cliff face, forming mini impact craters. If you look closely at the cliff face, you can see dewdrops down the entire ledge. It should be noted, though, that these holes may be caused by doodlebugs. Photo taken on May 26, 2013.
Photo details: Top - Camera Model: Canon EOS 7D; Lens: EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM; Focal Length: 22mm; Focus Distance: Infinite; Aperture: f/4.0; Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60); ISO equiv: 100. Inset - same except: Focal Length: 35mm; Focus Distance: 1.63m; Aperture: f/3.5; Exposure Time: 0.013 s (1/80).
