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The Greenwater Canyon petroglyph site is located in the Greenwater Mountains of southeast Death Valley, and about 35 miles northwest of Shoshone, California. This section of Greenwater Canyon ranges from 30 to 100 feet wide, is about a quarter long, and the steep boulder sides tower 50 feet above the canyon floor. At this point the canyon runs down hill south to north, and the majority of petroglyphs are at least 10 feet above the sandy bottom. Most of the rock here is basalt with a dark brown patina. The local topography suggests that rain water collects on the surrounding area that is slightly tilted toward Greenwater Canyon, then cascades down an 8 foot drop into the narrow canyon entrance. Water wear on the rocks near the canyon floor indicates sufficient water to cause erosion of the canyon floor has occurred since the petroglyphs were made, accounting for the height of the petroglyphs above the canyon floor today. This is a relatively small rock art site with perhaps two hundred or so petroglyphs. Many of petroglyphs are abstract geometric images and the rest being representational. A common representational image at this site is the atlatl, and notably scarce are bighorn sheep images The petroglyphs shown below are concentrated at the south end of the canyon and the majority of them are on the west side of the canyon facing east. Next 10 photos. |
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| The southern entrance to Greenwater Canyon looking north. Most of the petroglyphs are high on the western side of the canyon. | This large chunky basalt outcrop contains many petroglyphs that are repatinated and difficult to see until you get close. |
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| A large abstract geometric panel. | Representational image on an unidentified object. |
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| Atlatl petroglyphs help date some of these petroglyphs to a least 2000 years ago. | I believe the center image to represent a cloud with rain coming down. |
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| A rock art panel depicting atlatls, a hand and abstract images. click to see rock art replicas from this site opens a new browser window |
'stick figure' quadruped, probably a bighorn sheep or antelope. |
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| This petroglyph appears recent. It could be a representation of cattle introduced into the area in the 1800's, or it could be even more modern. | These petroglyphs have the same amount of patina, and are not superimposed. Collectively they may tell a story. |
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Atlatls.. or 'throwing sticks' are 18" pieces of flat wood that functioned as an extra arm segment and were used to propel a four foot long stone tipped dart toward the hunters quarry. A hook at the top represents the notch that held the feathered end of the dart and finger grips are sometimes depicted at the opposite end. The disk in the center represents a weight attached to the atlatl to add mass for increased thrust. In the Coso Range, CA, just west of Death Valley, atlatls were replaced by the bow & arrow between 200 BC and AD 500. Click for more Rock Art Terminology opens a new browser window |
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