A patch of drying mud expands into an intricate network of cracks under an early-October sun in this photograph captured at the mouth of Slickhorn Gulch just off the San Juan river in southern Utah. Fine clays and silts were deposited here in small pools earlier in the season as high runoff levels inundated the narrow floodplain beside the river. As the warm autumn sun evaporates the water in these pools, the deposited layer of clay begins to crack and form these intricate patterns. Glowing gold in the late evening sun, the high limestone canyon walls at the mouth of Slickhorn Gulch reflect in the small puddle of water that remains. This vertical photograph was captured using a 6x7 format camera. All photos in these fine art photo galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.