ShadowPic
White Dome Loop Trail
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Stop 5 White Dome Loop Trail
Location: Valley of Fire State Park about 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Date: March 6, 2007

The White Dome Loop Trail is a 1.1 mile (1770 m) long loop hike.  The sandstone in this portion of The Valley of Fire is not red as in the rest of the park, instead the sandstone here is a white color.  The sandstone in this area is also the result of old migrating sand dunes that were once in this area. 

The trail takes its name from the rock formations that resemble domes of rock that have been eroded over the years by wind and water.  In some locations along the trail other pale colors of pink and yellow are visible.  These pale colors come from the minerals that were once found in the water tables that were present at the time.  However, as the water levels began to recede some of the chemical in the water were left behind in the rock causing the rock to turn a pale shade of pink or yellow.


This image shows the pink and yellow bands of minerals that were
left behind when the water tables dropped.

 


The image shows a larger area of landforms from the White Dome trail.  It is visible from this image the
pinks, yellows, reds, and whites that are found in these rocks.  Looking closely
at the image there are some bedding is visible.

 

By Shana Neumann