Index for Category - Pareidolia Pictures

This page last updated on 12/27/2017

Unusual Pictures: This category was created to display pictures that fit under the phenomenon of Pareidolia (pair-i-DOH-lee-ə); a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus, usually a visual image, by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists (e.g., in random data). Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations, the Man in the Moon, the Moon rabbit, etc. Over the course of the last 4-5 years of hiking, I have come across dozens of natural tree and rock formations that suggest (to me) familiar patterns. Click A Title To View Examples of Pareidolia The Tree Knot Crustose Lichens - Grapevine Canyon Stump & Rock Dog Faces Crustose Lichens - Redstone NV

Examples of Pareidolia

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This page last updated on 07/01/2017

Pareidolia (pair-i-DOH-lee-ə) is a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus, usually an image, by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists (e.g., in random data). Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces, or objects in cloud formations, the Man in the Moon, the Moon rabbit, etc. Over the course of the last 4-5 years of hiking, I have come across dozens of natural tree and rock formations that provide (to me) familiar patterns. Listed below are a few examples ...

Example 1: On the right side of the picture in (Fig. 01), I can visualize the profile of an Indian facing left. To me I can see an eye line, nose mouth, chin right down to the neck and an Adams apple. This picture was taken inside of the 'lower' canyon at Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona,

(Fig. 01)

Example 2: The natural rock structure in the collage in (Fig. 02) is the main focus of the "Duck Rock" hike in the Valley of Fire State Park. Even view from various angles, many think this rock looks much like the head of a duck. 

(Fig.. 02)

Example 3: Probably the most famous rock formation in the Valley of Fire State Park is "Elephant Rock". This huge formation of a standing elephant (Fig. 03) is the most visited formation in the park.

                                           

(Fig. 03)

Example 4: The section of ledge below, resembling the profile of a face is another prime example of what I mean.  This picture is of a natural overhang that was captured while walking past one of the hundreds of cliff houses I found on a visit to Walnut Canyon National Park. This natural cliff outcrop, worn by hundreds of years of natural erosion could only be seen at just the right angle. Hiking just below it, most people walked right on by and never noticed its natural beauty. 

(Fig. 04)

Click here to view more examples .... Index for Category - Unusual Pictures.

Tree Knot

This picture was taken on 03/11/2005 on a trip to Red Rock Canyon with my cousin John Coxon. It was taken at the Willow Springs Picnic Area located about a 1/4 mile past the Willow Springs Falls parking area. The picnic area is located adjacent to a spring with large cottonwood trees in a deep canyon surrounded by red and white sandstone cliffs.  If you stare at it long enough, maybe you will see the same grotesque face that I see – think the Batman Movie, "The Joker".

Crustose Lichens, Grapevine Canyon, Laughlin, NV

This picture was taken on 02/23/2010 while on a hike Connie and I made to Grapevine Canyon, located just north of Laughlin, Nevada.  As I have said before, I love to find pictures like this which seem remind me of other images. Call me crazy again, or maybe it's just the artist in me, but the main shape of the focused area reminds me of a left side view of a bust, face and head (looking towards you) and shoulders. I think it is easier to see if you stare at the picture and then squint your eyes.

Stump & Rock Dog Faces

Sometimes I just dunno (do not know) what it is about a certain thing that captures me or causes me to take a picture. Sometimes I am drawn in by the textures or colors of a particular subject; sometimes I see a shape or something else in it that reminds me of something; sometimes it is just its uniqueness; sometime I dunno! In the case of this little “stump” that I shot on 02/10/2011 along Lake Mead’s Lakeshore drive, I immediately saw a ‘faces’ starring at me. To me it looks like a 'pug nosed' dog. Without saying anything, Connie noticed one as well when she first viewed it. What do you see? E-mail me at kccandcj@yahoo.com. Though my guess was that someone had ‘cut it back’ at some point, it was not dead. When I gave it a brief ‘tug’ it was securely rooted, indicating that it certainly had some life left in it.

It’s kind of like this picture I took of a rock on a hike in the Lovell Wash back on 01/20/2011. Its silhouette reminded of a schnauzer getting ready to chew on a bone. OK! So maybe you just have to have an imagination.

Crustose Lichens, Redstone, NV

This picture was taken on 01/20/2011 while on a hike to the Redstone Loop Trail with the Henderson Heritage Park Senior Facility rock hounds. The Redstone Loop Trail is located at mile marker 27 along the North Shore Drive on the western side of Lake Mead, NV. Situated within an area called Redstone, the trail, at an elevation of 2,238 to 2,323 feet, is a short half-mile walk that surrounds several red sandstone outcroppings which are reminiscent of the Valley of Fire or Red Rock Canyon. I just love to find pictures like this which seem remind me of other images. Call me crazy, but when I first noticed these lichens, their shape immediately reminded me of an ‘old world’ map with all of the continents laid out flat.

Walnut Canyon National Monument, AZ

I am always looking for some feature in a natural setting that resembles something familiar or reminds me of something. The section of ledge above, resembling a face is a prime example of what I mean.  This picture is of a natural overhang that was captured while walking past one of the hundreds of cliff houses I found on a visit to Walnut Canyon National Park in October 2009. This natural cliff outcrop, worn by hundreds of years of natural erosion could only be seen at just the right angle. Hiking just below it, most people walked right on by and never noticed its natural beauty. Click here to view some of the cave dwellings located along the Island Trail [Cave Dwellings].

Area Description: Walnut Canyon National Monument is easily reached from Flagstaff, being just 7 miles east along I-40 and another 3 miles south on a spur road starting at exit 204. During the 12th to 13th centuries, the local Sinagua Indians constructed cave-dwellings along the steep well-protected ledges, high above the canyon floor. Today, the appearance of the canyon and ruins is quite reminiscent of the more well known Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, just on a smaller scale. At an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet, the 0.9 mile Island Trail is a loop path that descends steeply (by 185 feet) via a series of 240 steps, that then circles an island carved by the river in the middle of the canyon.  The trail passes alongside the remains of about 20 separate dwellings, a few of which are quite intact, including front walls with rectangular doorways. The trail also has good views of the cliffs opposite, which have other ruins clearly visible, since the reddish stones used by the Sinagua contrast well with the white striated limestone layers of the canyon.