Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England Jan 8, 2026

Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England

Today is a day that puts time into perspective. Old Rock Day highlights the vast geological processes that have shaped our world since its earliest eras. In Arches National Park, Utah, United States, Turret Arch—seen through North Window—offers a striking reminder: landscapes can take hundreds of millions of years to assemble. The Entrada Sandstone that forms these arches began as shifting dunes and shallow seas long before erosion carved today"s shapes. Even so, these formations are relatively young. Most rocks on Earth disappear over time because plate tectonics, erosion and volcanism continually recycle the crust. Only the planet"s ancient continental shields preserve truly old material. Canada"s Acasta Gneiss, about 4 billion years old, is the oldest known rock still rooted where it formed.

© Philip Reeve/Photodisc/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Where we go to play
Jan 8, 2024Bernina Pass, Graubunden, Switzerland
Jan 8, 2025Great Wall of China

More Desktop Wallpapers:

A road not for the faint of heart
Oct 28, 2023Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Oct 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon
A public restroom or a tourist spot?
Sep 11, 2024Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi
Mar 21, 2024International Day of Forests
A gorge-ous place to drop in
Jun 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eater, Bardia National Park, Nepal
Dec 18, 2024English National Ballet performing The Nutcracker
Aug 30, 2024International Whale Shark Day
A modern recreation
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA
Dec 28, 2024Dudhsagar Falls, Goa
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Oct 9, 2025Space Week isnt over yet!
Mar 12, 2024Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
Jun 2, 2025Telangana Day
Straight out of a fairytale
Twinkle twinkle, little bugs
Jan 9, 2024Gayathri Reservoir, Karnataka, India
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Gateway to Iberia
Rainbow around the sun
Mar 3, 2025World Wildlife Day
Jun 10, 2024The city of Osaka at night, Japan
Nov 6, 2025The temple of Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, Lamphun, Thailand
Jul 25, 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
A pair of high achievers
This museum sets the prairie on fire