#slot canyon

[thomaswaynewolf]

[desert-love]

[bettergeology]

Recently got back from Death Valley, my fifth visit in the last 12 months (I think I like going there…). Not much new stuff on this visit, but I did get to see my first chuckwalla (a large lizard)! Not much as far as wildflowers go this year, they didn’t have as wet of an autumn/winter as in other recent years.

My friend the chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater):

He’s about 30 cm/1 ft long!

My friends the zebra-tailed lizards (Callisaurus draconoides):

On the left is a juvenile. Adult, on right, is about 9 cm/4 inches long excluding tail.

Here’s some geology:

Natural Bridge, the 2nd tallest but widest-spanning natural bridge in the park:

(See wife at center for scale!)

Brine pool out on the salt flats:

About 1.5 meters/5 feet wide

The ever-classic Mosaic Canyon:

Here, Precambrian Noonday Dolomite (white/yellow) metamorphosed into marble and stretched by intense pressure during mountain uplift. Later, that rock was carved into a slot canyon and filled with debris. That happened long enough ago that those debris flow deposits solidified into rock (gray, mosaic-like rock). Then, it was uplifted again and the canyon was re-carved through both the marble and the breccia!

[climbhighsleeplow]

Lit Slot

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

[adventurealldays]

[chasingrainbowsforever]

~ Orange and Brown ~

[life-spire]

[69shadesofgray]

Antelope Canyon | Arizona, USA | February 2025

• The Navajo name for Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazí, which means “spiral rock arches.”

• The canyon’s wave-like formation and lighting is due to erosion by flash flooding and rainwater over hundreds of years.

• The canyon’s name comes from Navajo stories about antelopes that grazed there in winter.

• The sandstone is known for its red and orange colors, which intensify in sunlight.

• According to the Navajo, Antelope Canyon was discovered in 1864.

• Antelope Canyon is the most-photographed slot canyon in the southwestern United States.

[jeffambrose]

Mukuntuweap (Zion NP) and some other Northern Arizona spots last week.

[jmpphoto]

Moon Caves by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Flashback Friday Moon Caves Slot Canyon Cathedral Gorge State Park Nevada Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada is home to the mesmerizing Moon Caves, a labyrinth of narrow, twisting slot canyons carved from soft bentonite clay. These otherworldly formations, sculpted by erosion over thousands of years, create an almost alien landscape where towering walls seem to glow in the shifting light. The Moon Caves’ narrow passageways and hidden alcoves invite explorers to weave through their surreal corridors, feeling like they’ve stepped onto another planet. The park’s unique geology, shaped by ancient volcanic activity and millennia of wind and water erosion, makes it a dream destination for photographers, adventurers, and nature lovers.

[desert-love]

[daisiesinmyblood]

[percivalias]

"✭✭✭✫✫ — the canyon was nice but my gps wouldn't work and i had this constant feeling of being watched???"

[climbhighsleeplow]

Slot Canyon Hiking.Page, Utah

[adventurealldays]

[eleanor-arroway]

fire and ice

Follow the Light by Adrian Chandler in Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Icy Canyons by Janessa Anderson in Alaska