Cutting deeply into the Moenkopi Plateau of north-central Arizona, Coal Mine Canyon is located on the Hopi Nation. Formerly within the Navajo Nation, this canyon is called "Honoo Ji" by the Navajo people which refers to the jagged, saw-toothed formations throughout the canyons. Reminiscent of the sandstone formations of Utahs Bryce Canyon, these hoodoos and pinnacles have been carved into the soft Mesa Verde and Mancos shales along the eastern edge of the plateau. While this area receives scant rainfall during a typical year, cloudbursts occasionally scour these canyons during the late-summer monsoon season when large thunderstorms build over this region as tropical moisture flows north from Mexico. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art black & white framed prints or for stock photography usage.