600 Million Year Education

600 Million Years in the Making
"Duke (University) Stone" is at least 600 million years old.

Originally slate, it was transformed into "phyllite" by the heat and pressure of volcanic action and stained by weathering.

The palette variations are very diverse, yet the stones are instantly recognizable and an integral part of Duke University's world-wide brand.

Many close to the surface dimension stone deposits were once considered a farmer's bane. In fact lands with monadnocks were routinely considered as "junk" lands.

However, through awareness and conservation many attitudes today have changed, with citizens fighting to protect "stone mountains" in North Carolina or the eponymous state park in Georgia.

Could we image mining Yosemite's Half Dome today?

Visionaries like John Muir or Ansel Adams leveraged the power of positive "buzz" for conservation. Perhaps we can do more of the same with our photography in our present...