File talk:Dighton Rock-Davis photograph.jpg

This photo is one of two on the Dighton Rock page in Wikipedia. The other is the Seth Eastman on Dighton Rock.jpg photo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seth_Eastman_on_Dighton_Rock.jpg).

Look closely at the (presumably) chalked markings on the rock. They do not match in the two photos. E.g., on this one, there is a cluster of markings near the top right, resembling a cross of sorts with a lot of other markings near it. On the Seth Eastman photo, there is a bow-tie kind of symbol with a balloon shape below it. The balloon doesn't appear on the apparently more modern photo however.

Also, near the right side, there is a sort of smiley face in the upper portion of the rock which does not appear in the Seth Eastman photo. And there are MANY other differences.

Do these represent simply differences in how the markings were chalked up for the photos? Could some of the additional detail in the (apparently) newer photo have been carved in there since the Seth Eastman photo was taken? In that case those would not be 'prehistoric' but probably 'pre-teen modern'. Yet the upper profile of the rock, and the crack patterns seem to indicate that it IS the same rock at different times. Does anyone have a potential explanation?