About Inks Lake State Park Images
This gallery contains images from Inks Lake State Park, located in Burnet County in the Llano Uplift region of the Texas Hill Country. It has some of the best views of pre-Cambrian (more than 600 million years old) geology in the state. The pink rock islands jutting up through the limestone in the park are metamorphic rock called Valley Spring gneiss. Intense heat and pressure applied to the original rocks over millions of years formed gneiss. The original rocks were sedimentary (formed from sand, silt and mud) and igneous (likely granite). The gneiss “islands” support unique microhabitats. Wildflowers, grasses, forbs, mosses, lichens and ferns grow on these rock outcrops. Over hundreds of years, larger rocks are broken down into gravels and soil by the plants that grow in crevices and at the base of the outcrops. Plants in the park range from the typical grasses and trees found in dry, arid regions of the state to the moisture-loving plants found around the lake and along the few streambeds that run through the park.
Before Inks Lake existed, the steep slopes and thin, rocky soils of the area flooded frequently and with devastating results. In order to control the river, the Lower Colorado River Authority built a series of six dams. Inks Lake is second lake in the series. Two dams form its boundaries – Buchanan Dan to the north and Inks Dam to the south.
Prints and Licensing
For more information regarding licensing images or purchasing photos as prints click here. If you have a specific inquiry please feel free to contact me using the website's contact form here.