NASA Earth Observatory reported on September 8, 2026 that geologists estimate the sedimentary rock strata at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area in Southern California average a 50-degree tilt. Tilted layers jut from the Soledad Basin, and the area has long drawn television and film producers. The report included false-color and natural-color images taken by the OLI instrument aboard Landsat 9 on July 28, 2026.

The report said the formations began about 25 million years ago, when sediment spread across alluvial fans and was later buried and cemented into sandstone and conglomerate. Tectonic movement along a boundary including the San Andreas Fault reshaped the region, uplifting and deforming the basin, while weathering and erosion left more resistant rock as fins and ridges. The formations have appeared in films and series including Star Trek, Westworld, For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica.