Hagerman Fossil Beds

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, located in southwest Idaho, contains the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse fossils in North America and is internationally significant since it protects the richest known late Pliocene fossil deposits in the world. The Snake River forms the eastern boundary of the site which was designated as a national monument in 1988.

Print No. A01NW-20-8

Bonneville Flood Boulders

This image was taken across the Snake River from the Hagerman Fossil Beds (above). These are large boulders (over 10-feet/3-meters in diameter), typically of Columbia River Basalt, which were tumbled and rounded as they were swept down the Snake River during the great Bonneville Flood, which occurred about 14,000 years ago. As glaciers receded during the last ice age of the Pleistocene Epoch, Lake Bonneville gradually covered 20,000 square miles (over 50,000 Km²) of central Utah. Eventually, the lake spilled over Red Rock Pass, Idaho, rapidly eroding the pass, resulting in a massive flood to the north and eventually west down the Snake River Valley.

Print No. A01NW-20-10

Borah Peak Earthquake Scarp

On October 28, 1983, an earthquake occurred along the Lost River Fault at the foot of Borah Peak, the highest point in Idaho (seen in this image as the light-colored peak left of center). This earthquake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, is the largest earthquake on record in Idaho. The scarps, seen here as the light horizontal bands in the foreground, run up to 60 miles (100 km) and are up to 6 feet (2 meters) in height.

Print No. A01NW-22-2

Hells Canyon from Heavens Gate

This is the view from Heaven Gate Overlook (elevation 8,429 feet/2,569 meters) along the western border of Idaho, looking west across the Hells Canyon gorge. In the distance is Summit Ridge, Oregon. Hells Canyon, carved by the Snake River, is the deepest gorge in North America at 7,800 feet (2,800 meters). This overlook is also along the historic Boise Trail, first used by the Nez Perce tribe, and later by explorers and prospectors.

Print No. A01NW-20-4

Owyhee Mountains

This sunset view in the northern portion of the Owyhee Mountains in southwest Idaho shows layers of Miocene-age rhyolite flows. The mountains have been subsequently pulled apart by Basin-and-Range faulting. The Owyhee Mountains are also the home of Silver City which was the center of a gold and silver rush during the 1860s.

Print No. A01NW-4-9