Also present on Bench 3 is a large raised area where the granite has received a smooth, slick polish (seen here as the pink granite area bordered by red pencil and carpenter’s folding ruler). In California, similar features are seen on bedrock exposures—in association with bedrock mortars—and have been termed "slicks". Remarkably, even though this ‘slick’ is probably at least a thousand years old, it continues to resist colonization by lichens, which have covered the surrounding surface almost completely. The ancient activity that formed these slicks remains unknown, but was probably associated with some form of plant processing. A small, shallow bedrock mortar is visible in the upper right corner, marked by a coin. Photo by Dan Potter.