The Keyhole along the Joint Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands was formed not as the result of flowing water as were most slot canyons on the Colorado Plateau, but from the fracturing and faulting of large sections of sandstone as layers around it eroded away and relieved enormous amounts of pressure which formerly held the rock together. The first European settlers to this region called these cracks and faults "joints" thus the name for the trail which follows this canyon near Chesler Park. The red and white striped sandstone in this section of The Needles was laid down 250 million years ago in a fluctuating river and coastal environment as red river sediments mingled with layers of coastal dunes perhaps similar today to the area where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This vertical photograph was captured using a 6x7 format camera. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.