Sept. 28, 2007 - Rock Patterns, Zion NP

Canon 5D, 24 - 105 mm f/4L IS @ 47 mm, f/11, 1/100 sec., ISO 400

If you've ever visited Zion or Bryce, you know that some of the strangest rock formations to be found on earth exist in this part of the southwestern U.S. In this image, 3 distinctly different patterns lie "side by side" within a few feet of one another. The shadows cast by the light from the setting sun accentuate the patterns, making them seem even more other-worldly.

The red sandstone here, of course, is nothing more than sand compressed over very long periods of time beneath an ancient, shallow sea. Throw in a few million years of erosion by water and wind, and you wind up with an infinite variety of these formations.