Just realized the petroglyphs at Dinosaur National Monument look different now than 20 years ago

I visited back in 2003 and the carvings seemed really sharp. Went again in July and they appear way more faded or worn down. Is this just natural erosion speeding up or is there something else causing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade7801mo ago

That part about oils and dirt from tourists makes so much sense now. I was out there last summer and noticed the same thing on the main panel, the details just aren't as crisp as they were when I first saw them in 2010.

amymason1mo ago

Jumping off what you're saying about the 2006 vs 2021 photos, I've seen the same thing at petroglyph sites in New Mexico. Did the ranger mention anything specific about how the type of rock makes it worse? I'm wondering if sandstone takes more damage from that freeze-thaw cycle than tougher stuff like granite does. It's wild how much the details can fade in just a decade from natural stuff alone, let alone people touching them.

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jennifer_west521mo ago

I live in Colorado and I've been visiting Dinosaur National Monument every few years since 2006. What worked for me was actually talking to a ranger about this exact thing back in 2019. They told me that a lot of the fading is from moisture getting into the rock (from rain and snowmelt) and then freezing, which slowly chips away tiny bits of the surface. Plus they said more tourists means more oils and dirt from hands getting on the carvings, even though people aren't supposed to touch them. I noticed a huge difference comparing my 2006 photos to ones from 2021, especially on the main panel near the visitor center.