Pix Of The Day: Petrified Sand Dunes Life Cycle
CREDIT: © Ian Scott-Parker/CAMwrangler.com
WHERE: Zion Canyon, Utah, USA. WHAT: Kayenta & Navajo sandstones.
MAP: Zion. Thumbnail click/links [1] [A][B][C] pop-up larger images.

Approaching the western side of Zion Canyon across the mesas, it is hard to imagine that these massive heights were once 3,000 feet deep sand dunes. After submersion below a mineralized sea that cemented the sand grains together, the petrified dunes were uplifted thousands of feet then eroded by the actions of wind and water. The same process is beginning all over again, to the east of the park at Coral Pink Sand Dunes National Park.

In the short time since last we passed this way, different [A][B][C] plants with different blooms have replaced the ones we saw on our last trip.

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