Grimes Point Petroglyphs and Pictographs
Grimes Point is eleven miles east of Fallon, NV and was once on the shore of ancient Lake Lahontan. You can see the horizontal lines or terraces etched into the side of the range, these scars are results of waves hitting the shore. It is one of the largest and most accessible petroglyph sites in the U.S. There's a self guided tour, which makes visiting the area quite convenient and educational.
It's believed that people first arrived at Grimes Point roughly 8,000 years ago and the rock art is thought to be about 6,000 years old.
There are hundreds of rocks with petroglyphs at the site, designs include circles, wavy lines, lizards, snakes, humans, among others. There is also a variety of rock art styles at this site including both petroglyphs and pictographs (see below for the difference) and different types of petroglyphs including those made from the pit and groove technique (older) and those made with pecking (newer). See the pictures below for a sample of the rock art you can see at Grimes Point.
Please take a look at the how to recreate responsibly around rock art page to learn how to visit these places responsibly.
Sources and to learn more:
http://visitfallonnevada.com/things-to-do/historical-sites/
http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/blm/grimespoint-nv.html
What's the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph? You can see the difference in the photos below. The majority of the photos here are petroglyphs, images that have been etched or carved into the rock, removing the weathered surface and revealing the typically lighter material below. Weathering will eventually make the carvings more and more difficult to see, you can see some of the petroglyphs below have been weathered more than others. The last five rock art pictures are pictographs, images that have been drawn or painted on the rock's surface--in the pictures below they are red/orange in color.
You can learn more about rock art here: http://geology.com/articles/petroglyphs.shtml
It's believed that people first arrived at Grimes Point roughly 8,000 years ago and the rock art is thought to be about 6,000 years old.
There are hundreds of rocks with petroglyphs at the site, designs include circles, wavy lines, lizards, snakes, humans, among others. There is also a variety of rock art styles at this site including both petroglyphs and pictographs (see below for the difference) and different types of petroglyphs including those made from the pit and groove technique (older) and those made with pecking (newer). See the pictures below for a sample of the rock art you can see at Grimes Point.
Please take a look at the how to recreate responsibly around rock art page to learn how to visit these places responsibly.
Sources and to learn more:
http://visitfallonnevada.com/things-to-do/historical-sites/
http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/blm/grimespoint-nv.html
What's the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph? You can see the difference in the photos below. The majority of the photos here are petroglyphs, images that have been etched or carved into the rock, removing the weathered surface and revealing the typically lighter material below. Weathering will eventually make the carvings more and more difficult to see, you can see some of the petroglyphs below have been weathered more than others. The last five rock art pictures are pictographs, images that have been drawn or painted on the rock's surface--in the pictures below they are red/orange in color.
You can learn more about rock art here: http://geology.com/articles/petroglyphs.shtml
