Michael Heizer is the epitome of a manly man.

He can be spotted rocking a cowboy hat paired with a wardrobe of plaid shirts and canvas jackets. He looks like the kind of guy who could eat cactus for breakfast without even flinching. Dare I say…he’s tough as rocks? That’s probably why he has such an affinity towards them.

Elevated, Surface, Depressed consists of three volcanic rocks weighing in at 42 tons. The rocks are approximately 100 million years old. To put that in perspective, dinosaurs were still around when these rocks came to be. In fact, Jurassic beasts would still be romping around Earth for another 35 million years before they would go extinct. Talk about art that withstands the test of time!

You may be wondering how the heck is three old rocks in a room is art? There is a whole concoction of things that helps determine if a piece of art will be perceived as valid in the art world. Once upon a time, the best art was that which captured the human form with precision and grace. Now, the best art is often something that challenges the viewer intellectually. Heizer has used some fancy art mumbo jumbo, which ultimately snagged him the title of a land (or earth) artist. These artists are trying to heighten the public’s awareness of our natural surroundings by bringing the environment into the realm of the gallery or museum. Not a bad idea considering our currently turbulent relationship with the Earth.

But if Heizer truly is the environmentalist that the art world pins him as, what about the environmental impact of moving 42 tons of stone across the country? We can only speculate on the gas cost and subsequent emissions. Seems like Heizer may have left a big old carbon bootprint.