Editing Imperial County, California (section)

===Fossil Canyon and Painted Gorge===
Located near [[Ocotillo, California]] in the [[Coyote Mountains]], ''Fossil Canyon '' (and the surrounding area) is a great place for rock-hounding and [[fossil]] hunting. The fossils here are not necessarily of dinosaurs; more commonly found are ancient [[oyster]] and [[seashell]], [[coral]], and other marine life from the prehistoric [[Miocene]] epoch, when the entire area was submerged as part of the [[Western Interior Seaway]].<ref name="fossilcanyon">{{cite web |url=http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_painted.html |title=Fossil Canyon and Painted Gorge|access-date=August 5, 2009}}</ref>

The ''Painted Gorge'', located on the eastern side of the Coyote Mountains, consists of [[sedimentary]], [[metamorphic rocks|metamorphic]] and [[igneous rock]]; [[Heat]] and movement over time has created fantastic shapes and colors. Dark ochre, iron-reds, royal purples, and mauves (mixed with dark browns/black) create a palette of color as the sun illuminates and plays shadows upon this geologic wonder.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 13, 2019 |url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2019/feb/13/roam-painted-gorge-under-sea-desert-region |publisher=San Diego Reader |title=The Painted Gorge: From undersea to desert region |accessdate=November 11, 2022}}</ref>