Lens-Artists Challenge #370 – Ancient

Landscapes, lens-artists

Sofia has set a challenge Ancient, she wrote: This week I’m looking for anything that has had an existence of many years. It can be like my examples, ancient buildings or places, unchangeable landscapes. It can also be traditions, whose origins are lost in time, or obsolete objects of everyday life. Your imagination is as much the limit as age…

I was going to show shots from Archaeological sites like of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, maybe few from Tombs of the Kings, Kato Paphos in Cyprus. Then I thought about what is older than that, did a little bit of research and this is what I came up with.

According NOAA the Ocean’s are ancient. Over vast periods of time, our primitive ocean formed. Water remained a gas until the Earth cooled below 212 degrees Fahrenheit. At this time, about 3.8 billion years ago, the water condensed into rain which filled the basins that we now know as our world ocean.

The vast and ancient ocean, a reminder of the Earth’s formation over billions of years.

Most scientists believe that the atmosphere and oceans formed slowly over millions of years through the release of gases from the Earth’s interior. This process allowed water vapor and other gases from molten rocks to escape into the atmosphere. Once the Earth’s surface cooled below the boiling point of water, it started to rain continuously for a long time. As the rainwater collected in the low areas, the first oceans formed. Gravity kept the water on the planet.

A surfer riding the waves in a vast ocean, showcasing the beauty and power of ancient waters.

Finland’s bedrock is 3,000–1,400 million years old and is among the oldest, thickest and most stable in Europe. Granite is our country’s most common rock, and it is Finland’s national rock.

The red Aztec sandstone rocks in the Valley of Fire are about 150 million years old, formed from shifting sand dunes during the Jurassic period. However, the park also contains older, darker gray rocks that are between 550 and 250 million years old, dating back to the Paleozoic Era. 

Australia holds the oldest continental crust on Earth, researchers have confirmed, hills some 4.4 billion years old. I don’t think I have any photos of that.

BUT the Great Ocean Road offers The “limestone rocks” they refer to the Twelve Apostles, a series of towering limestone stacks that were formed by millions of years of ocean erosion. Stunning landscapes; the views observed today are the result of a dynamic interplay of geological processes that have unfolded over millions of years. So, the spectacular variety of seascapes in the Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coastal Park is the sum of 7–15 million years of limestone and clay formation sculpted by the relentless forces of nature. These forces include the variables of climate, rain, wind, and waves, alongside a rising sea level that has reshaped the coast over the last 18,000 years.

And all of that my friends has resulted in something very unique and very beautiful. 

Another fact I found out was: In 2008, geologists announced that a swath of exposed bedrock in the Canadian province of Quebec was the oldest place on Earth’s surface. The crust on the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt, on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay, is 4.28 billion years old, dating to when Earth was still cooling from its formation! No photo to share on this nugget of information.

I gotta give a shoutout to Sofia for this awesome challenge! I learned so much while looking up info for this post. Last week, Ann-Christine took us on a super dreamy trip with serene landscapes, gorgeous flowers, and calm scenes. It was such a delight of relaxing theme.

Next week is my turn to host, Saturday 25th October. Hope you will join me then Until then, keep smiling and stay positive.

Almost forgot; Remember to tag Lens-Artists and to link back to Sofia’s lovely post so we can all easily find you.

If you’d like to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.

A view of the ocean reflecting the soft golden hues of the sky, embodying the ancient and timeless nature of our planet’s waters.

26 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #370 – Ancient”

  2. Yes, Ritva! Straight from outside the box and it’s a joy to read. I’ve learnt so much too from your post and to have all that information illustrated with your wonderful photos is the cherry on top. Thank you!

  6. Ritva, I love the way you approached this challenge. Your images of these ancient natural formations are stunning. I appreciate all of the research you did for this post. I learned a few new things today!

  7. A wonderful post, Ritva. The photographs are all great, complemented by such terrific research. I learned a lot reading. Thanks!

  8. I absolutely love all your ideas and the way you put your post together. The ocean? YES, the ocean. With still so many unknowns of an ancient place. Valley of the Fire is a favorite place for me to visit and your capture of it is stunning. And the 12 Apostles captured in such great lighting on a beautiful day. It is a place I keep learning more and more about. A great post, Ritva. My favorite photo is the last, today.

  10. We live in an old rock, right? Beautiful shots of nature’s amazing resilience, Ritva! And Valley of Fire, I’ve been there a time or two. Your facts in the info are fascinating!

  12. Great history lesson Ritva, I learned quite a bit. I remember seeing a documentary a few years ago where scientists have been trying to work out how water actually got on this planet, where did it come from. I think there are lots of different opinions.

  13. What an original and beautiful take on the challenge, Ritva. From the oceans to rocks and the Twelve Apostles, the gallery was breathtaking.

  15. Wonderful series. Lovely photos of the 12 Apottles on the Great Ocean Road. Now that’s somewhere even I haven’t seen in person and I only live a few hundred miles away.

  18. What marvellous post on ancient- I have come rather belatedly to this, but what a wonderful post and some very interesting geological information!

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