Rise of the Island
The numerous strata that make up the Island in the Sky mesa rise above a bend in the Colorado River. The cloud cover from a winter storm was just breaking up, letting in some beams of sunlight. The light always seems more vibrant after a couple of days of continous cloud cover.
The lower formations are part of the Cutler group, and include sandstones and shales that were part of nearshore ocean deposits, with additional contributions from sediment carried by rivers. The higher formations include the Moenkopi, Chinle, and Wingate Sandstones (steep cliffs towards top), a mix of sediments from tidal flats, riverine deposits, and dunes. (Geology friends, feel free to correct any mistakes here.)
The Valley coming in from the right is Shafer Canyon. The White Rim/ Shafer road descends from the top of the mesa (near Island in the Sky visitor’s center) just to the right of the highest point on the left side of the photo. Dead Horse Point is not far (1.6 km or 1 mile), but out of view to the right, around 600 m (2000 feet) higher than the river.
Rise of the Island
The numerous strata that make up the Island in the Sky mesa rise above a bend in the Colorado River. The cloud cover from a winter storm was just breaking up, letting in some beams of sunlight. The light always seems more vibrant after a couple of days of continous cloud cover.
The lower formations are part of the Cutler group, and include sandstones and shales that were part of nearshore ocean deposits, with additional contributions from sediment carried by rivers. The higher formations include the Moenkopi, Chinle, and Wingate Sandstones (steep cliffs towards top), a mix of sediments from tidal flats, riverine deposits, and dunes. (Geology friends, feel free to correct any mistakes here.)
The Valley coming in from the right is Shafer Canyon. The White Rim/ Shafer road descends from the top of the mesa (near Island in the Sky visitor’s center) just to the right of the highest point on the left side of the photo. Dead Horse Point is not far (1.6 km or 1 mile), but out of view to the right, around 600 m (2000 feet) higher than the river.