The Laughing Buddha of Catalonia

January 09, 2015

Buda de Fraguerau

Photographer: Xavier Varela; Xavier's Web site
Summary Authors: Xavier Varela

The Laughing Buddha featured above is a result of wind and water eroding colossal stone formations on the north side of the Montsant in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range in Catalonia, Spain. Primarily limestone conglomerates with layers of clay and marl, they formed during the Oligocene Epoch, 35 to 23 million years ago. Over time, erosion has carved out the stone to resemble a massive Laughing Buddha. Photo taken on December 6, 2014.

Photo details: Camera Model: NIKON D60; Lens: AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G; Focal Length: 35mm (35mm equivalent: 52mm); Aperture: ƒ/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250); ISO equiv: 100.