A thick layer of Cedar Mesa Sandstone has eroded into an infinite variety of pinnacles, hoodoos and spires in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. This photograph was captured as the first rays of morning light illuminated pinnacles above Elephant Canyon. This colorful layer of sandstone was formed when near-shore white sand dunes were periodically swamped with red riverbed sediments nearly 260 million years ago. These alternating red and white sediment layers produced the myriad of horizontally striped formations seen today in this portion of Canyonlands Park. This panoramic photograph was captured with a 6x17 panorama format camera. All photos in these fine art photo galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.