| Paria Canyon, Utah. The Paria river cuts through vast layers of bentonite clays in the Chinle formation as it drains the region south of Bryce Canyon on its journey to the Colorado River at Lees Ferry. Huge flash floods caused by late-summer monsoon rains flush enormous quantities of this clay-bearing sediment through the canyon, chocking it with mile after mile of deep, boot-sucking mud. As this mud slowly dries in the desert heat, it cracks, twists and peels away from the canyon floor to form these wonderful abstract patterns. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage. |
