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Painted Desert
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
On my through Arizona I wanted to see the famous Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. I arrived late in the afternoon and I wasnt disappointed. The vista you see here was taken at Wanna Point looking east.
The Painted Desert is an expanse of badland hills, flat-topped mesas and buttes. It is an arid land, sparsely vegetated and heavily eroded. The name Painted Desert refers to the rainbow of colorful sedimentary layers exposed in the austere landscape. It is represented by outcroppings of the Late Triassic Period Chinle Formation.
The Painted Desert is a narrow, crescent shaped arc, about 160 miles long which begins about 30 miles north of Cameron near Grand Canyon, and swings southeast just beyond Petrified Forest National Park. This arc varies in width from 10 miles wide in the Cameron area to about 35 miles wide at Petrified Forest. The Little Colorado River cradles the southern edge and the tableland of Hopi Mesas and buttes make up the northern boundary.
The landforms of the Painted Desert have been described as a multicolored layer cake. The variety of hues in the sandstone and mudstone layers of the Chinle Formation is the result of the varying mineral content in the sediments and the rate at which the sediments were laid down. When sediments are deposited slowly, oxides of iron and (hematite) aluminum become concentrated in the soil. These concentrations create the red, orange, and pink colors you see at the north end of the park. During a rapid sediment buildup such as a flooding event, oxygen is removed from the soil forming the blue, gray, and lavender layers. You will see these colors as you travel through the southern portion of the park.
Source: Petrified Forest National Park website |
jcoowanitwong, Juyona, boreocypriensis, albert, Hormon_Manyer, anel has marked this note useful
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Hi Chris,
Very nice landscpe of this Amazon Desert. Nice vivid colours and great PoV. Very well done!
TFS,
Kedar
Hi Chris,
A beautiful scene of this Painted Desert. This is a wonderful site to visit. POV and composition are great.
JC
- Juyona
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2267 W: 10 N: 2646]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(15625) - [2009-07-13 9:30]
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Hola Chris,
apasionante pov,
colores y bella presentación.
atractivo escenario,
saludos
Hi MF Chris, a splendid landscape capture of this Painted Desert area from nice POV with excellent composition.
TFS and Have a nice time while i am not available here! Goodbye MF!
Cheers,
Bayram
Hi Chris,
Nomen est omen... Perfect name, and of course a perfect image. Beautiful colors, POV and composition - simply a pink masterwork (of both God and You...). Pleasant to the eyes and very interesting.
Tfs, cheers, László
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- anel
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1730 W: 0 N: 3938]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(15810) - [2009-07-21 4:30]
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Hello Chris,
This is really a special landscape, the kind I would like to see too. Very good point of view chosen.
Amazing to see the different layers of sandstone with various colors. Looks very artistic and most interesting. Thanks also for your informative note.
Kind regards
Anne
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5104 W: 178 N: 12503]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(34135)