Detail of Lower Antelope Canyon

Detail of part of the sandstone geology of Lower Antelope Canyon, Paige, Arizona, USA.

Antelope Canyon is an example of a geological curiosity known as a “slot canyon.” As the name suggests, slot canyons are tiny canyons formed when water finds its way into a crack or fissure in the bedrock. Occurring largely in deserts or areas with low rainfall, a slot canyon is the result of thousands of years of weather extremes. In the case of Antelope Canyon, an intermittent creek that now empties into the Colorado River would erupt in turbulent flash floods that wore away the sandstone rock face, followed by hot, dry periods where sandstorms buffed the canyon walls to a striated, swirled finish. Over time, these weather patterns lessened in severity, but this natural process of erosion continues to be a part of Antelope Canyon’s ongoing evolution.

AntelopeCanyon

This photo is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.

It is for sale as wall art or as various home or personal accessories at Pixels.com.

It is also available to purchase as a stock photo from iStock.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.