Early-morning light illuminates sandstone formations in Bryce Canyon as viewed from Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park. Over the ages, water has carved myriads of pinnacles, hoodoos and towers from the sediments of a huge, ancient fresh-water lake which covered this region during the early Tertiary period. Known as the Claron Formation, this fifty million year-old layer of sediment forms the highest and therefore youngest "step" in the Grand Staircase of sandstone layers which march south to the edge of the Grand Canyon. Due to the soft nature of this sandstone, the erosion processes continue here today at a geological rate so rapid that changes to the formations can easily be witnessed within the span of an average human lifetime. This photograph was captured on 6x7 format film. This panoramic photograph was captured with a Fuji GX 617 panorama camera. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.